Pokemon Johto Revolution
by Maverick210
Summary: The Pokemon Battle Circuit, a global continuous competition where trainers duke it out in front of enormous crowds with the dream of becoming recognized as the World Champion. Blake, your typical teenager sets out to do exactly that, but with increasing conspiracies and freaks insisting that they need his help, the route to the World Championships appears to be full of detours.
1. New Beginnings

**Revised. **

* * *

><p><span>Pokemon Johto Revolution<span>

The world of Pokemon has been deconstructed and reconstructed over the past few centuries as expanding regions soon discovered that they weren't the only people existing on the planet. War was an action taken far to quickly, leaving these people divided and afraid of each other. Their only connection was their relationship with Pokemon, which soon resulted in a time a peace.

The Pokemon League was a created to keep the peace between the separated people. That is, until a dark secret about their Pokemon companions cased a series of cataclysmic events that many people have labeled as the Dark Days. The world was left in chaos, but a new organization known as the Pokemon Committee rose from the shambles of the world and began a work to restore the balance.

The Dark Days came a mysterious and anti-climatic end, although both humans and Pokemon were relieved from this. The efforts of the Pokemon Committee soon restored the old relationship with Pokemon and humans as the older generation that feared the creatures died out. With the return of the old method of capturing and training Pokemon, the Committee created the Pokemon Battle Circuit.

A large, continuous competition world-wide between trainers of different regions working their way to the top spot with the dream of taking on the World Champion and even holding the title themselves.

But the return of a criminal organization known as Team Rocket brings dark clouds in their wake.

**Johto Region**

**New Bark Town**

**4/8/0046/Morning**

The small alarm clock screeched at the teenage boy who was resting sound asleep beside, failing to frighten him as usual, but it did succeed in awakening him.

"Blake, get up already! Today you're getting out of my house so hurry up!" A female voice called out from the down the hall.

Remaining silent, Blake rose up from the bed with a groan, glancing around the room through his black bangs since he had yet to fix his bed head. Or his bed for that matter. But he never fixed either of those to be begin with.

Kicking off his covers, Blake jumped off his bed and took a few moments to stretch. Once he was finished with this, he moved over to his closet which he opened up. Inside was the outfit his caretaker had prepared for him for his journey. He couldn't see what was so special about a pair of cargo pants, a t-shirt and a sweater, but shrugging it off was the easiest option.

Once Blake had changed into his clothes, he took a look at himself in the mirror, turning a bit to get a full look at what he was wearing. He was positive that there was nothing special about these clothes. It was the normal gear any trainer would be wearing.

Pulling back his bangs to get a better look at his eyes, Blake struggled to break the dark stare he always wore, trying to create a more approachable expression. He would need one if he was going to become the Champion of the Battle Circuit. Or at least to help him get some more battles in more populated areas.

"Blake, didn't I tell you to get outta bed!" The same female voice hollered again, receiving no response from the teenage boy as he left his shared bedroom. Traveling the down the long corridor his room was located on, Blake came to a stop at the end of the hall which led out onto the balcony that over looked the cafeteria of his home.

Down below were dozens of kids varying in age that were eating breakfast together. When the caught sight of him, the whole room erupted in a shout of excitement for the Blake who would be leaving to begin his journey today. Blake glanced down at the crowd below, maintaining a neutral expression as he always did.

Traveling down the staircase from the balcony, Blake made a bee-line for the table where the breakfast spread was laid out for everyone to take as much as they pleased. Loading up his plate with everything he thought he would need, Blake then made his way over to one of the empty table where he planned to eat in solitude. But a certain green Pokemon had to pay him a visit before he could begin to enjoy his meal.

"Tar-Larvitar." A little voice said, gaining Blake's attention. Blake looked down the floor, spotting his Larvitar standing on the floor behind him.

"Hey Larvitar." Blake greeted the Pokemon with a nod as it climbed onto the table.

"Lar." It said quietly, staring intently at Blake's meal. Blake instantly realized what the small rock type was thinking of.

"Oh no you don't. This is my food!" Blake replied as he snatched his plate from the table, holding above his head, well out of Larvitar's reach. Despite its size, Larvitar eat like a Snorlax. After it received its own meal, Larvitar was more than willing to play the cute card in order to mooch off of the other children, specifically the girls.

To Blake's surprise, Larvitar leaped at him, clinging onto his left arm which was also held his plate. From there Larvitar began to scale his arm, closing in on Blake's food. Swiping his plastic fork from the table, Blake began to jam the small Pokemon with the fork, although its tough skin demolished the fork with ease. Once it was within reach, Larvitar made another jump were it successfully nabbed Blake's plate before making a run for it.

The small rock type disappeared underneath the tables, leaving Blake to pursue it as best he could, much to the amusement of the other kids that were present. Eventually Blake cornered the Pokemon and collected his meal, leaving the small Pokemon with a bit of his food to satisfy it. Once he finished his breakfast, Blake quietly left he cafeteria, entering another hallway that led toward the front entrance of the building. Waiting for him by the door was his one strap backpack and a belt to carry the basic supplies every trainer would need.

Jumping into his sneakers, Blake looked down the hall where he found that Larvitar was looking at him along with his caretaker. She was a rather young woman, with long black hair. She went by the name of Lola, and she was the owner of the orphanage Blake lived in. She was also the person who found him in Goldenrod City several years ago.

"Were you really going to leave without saying good bye Blake?" She asked, waiting for a reply as Larvitar joined its trainer at the door.

"Well I was trying to." Blake muttered before looking down at Larvitar who had a smirk on its face. "But I take it Larvitar gave you a heads up that was trying to leave."

"Yup." Lola said with a nod. "Besides, I can't let you leave without getting some food luck from me."

"Not interested." Blake replied in a deadpan before turning back to the door.

"There's no refusing it Blake." She sad as approached him. Giving him a hard slap on the back that almost knocked him over, Lola gave him a warm smile. Blake returned her smile with a glare.

"Alright, the next time you see or hear from me, I'll be the Battle Circuit Champion." Blake declared as he opened up the door, heading out of the front porch. Lola followed him out, stopping the porch while Blake continued on to the gate. "And I'll find out what it means to be strong, and teach it to your good for nothing husband."

"Blake, didn't I tell you to stay out of my business." Lola snapped at him, halting Blake's steps.

"You know just as well as I do that everyone here is just as involved as you are. I'm cutting off some loose ends. I hope you can do the same at some point since he's never coming back." Blake continued as he began walking toward the gate again. Lola bit her tongue to stop her reply. Why bother arguing with him now? It would ruin the present from the other kids.

As Blake reached the gate, all of the windows at the front of the orphanage opened up, revealing all of the flags and signs that children had made for Blake and Larvitar.

"Good luck Blake and Larvitar!" They all screamed together. Blake and Larvitar didn't bother to turn around. Instead they just threw one fist into the air above their heads as a sign of thanks to the kids.

* * *

><p>Blake slowly moved along the winding dirt pathways that criss-crossed throughout New Bark Town, making his way toward Professor Elm's laboratory. Larvitar rested on Blake's shoulder quietly looking around the town which it hadn't seen in some time.<p>

The town was a rather small place, with few people living there. This resulted in everyone having a large plot of land to themselves along with and excellent water source since this town rested right next to the mouth of Tohjo Falls. In the distance, Blake spotted Professor Elm's lab nestled in between the trees at the end of the town.

"Alright Larvitar. This is the beginning of our conquest." Blake said to his partner, receiving a nod. Entering the laboratory, Blake looked around the lobby, his entrance drawing the attention of Elm's assistant who was seated behind the front desk.

"Blake, you made it. Albert is waiting for you in his study, although I think he might have started without you." He said, giving Blake a wave before pointing to the door at the opposite end of the room.

Blake gave a quick no in reply before journeying over to the door that acted as the single entrance and exit to a room that held a wealth of information on Pokemon. Entering the room without any hesitation, Blake spotted a group of three in the back of the room, standing closely to a pod that was clearly the capsule for a group of Poke-balls.

"Ah, Blake! It's good to see that you made it." Elm exclaimed, halting his previous explanation to wave Blake over to the group. Aside from the professor, there was a girl and another boy. Blake assumed that they were both around the same age as him if they were planning to enter the Battle Circuit. Waiting a few moments for Blake to join them, Elm then continued. "So as I was saying, this pod contains three Pokemon, one for each of you. I'll introduce you to them."

Elm opened up the capsule, allowing a plume of white smoke to exit the machine. Once it cleared out, Elm removed one of the three spherical devices, tossing it into the air after motioning for the teens to take some distance. A formless white flashed leaped out of the Poke-ball when it opened, landing on the floor where it took shape.

Blake raised an eyebrow as he took note of the expression it wore. It was glaring at them.

"Is it, supposed to do that professor?" The girl asked nervously, pointing at the small Pokemon on the floor from behind Blake.

"Oh, you'll have to excuse Cyndaquil Mari. It's not too sociable." Elm replied sheepishly while Cyndaquil inspected each of the trainers. Going to the other boy next, Cyndaquil was rather surprised when he kneeled down in front of it to get a closer look out of curiosity.

"I wouldn't get to close Robbie." Elm warned the boy who remained focused on Cyndaquil.

"Don't worry Professor, I'll be fine." Robbie replied, staring directly into Cyndaquil's glare. Cyndaquil snorted at Robbie confidence, deciding to ignite the flames on its back. Robbie gave a yelp as surprise as he jumped backward. The sudden blast of heat from Cyndaquil had caught him off guard.

Cyndaquil turned away from Robbie, kicking up some dust as proof that if had conquered Robbie before it looked at its final target. Blake.

Keeping its back lit, Cyndaquil focused on Blake, wondering what it would take to make his crack. Unlike the previous two teens, Blake took an unorthodox approach. He returned its glare with one of equal intensity.

Cyndaquil was clearly surprised by this, taking a step backward which gained the attention of Professor Elm. He had never seen Cyndaquil do anything like during the several months he had been in possession of it. Not to him. Not to any of his assistants. And yet here it was submitting to Blake.

"I guess this one is pretty cool." Blake said as Cyndaquil now stood beside him with his arms crossed. Elm gave Blake a nod. Perhaps Blake would be able to create a better environment for Cyndaquil than the one this laboratory had.

"Well since Cyndaquil has been chosen, I guess we can move on to Chikorita and Totodile." Elm said as he removed the remaining two Poke-balls from the capsule. Releasing the two Pokemon inside, Elm then looked toward Mari. "Ladies first."

Mari approached the two Pokemon, kneeling down in front of them to observe which one she liked. Totodile was rugged and scaly, but its bright and cheerful smile easily made it seem more approachable. Chikorita was down right adorable. Inside of focusing on Mari, the small grass type was far more fascinated with her shoes.

"I choose Chikorita." Mari said as he enveloped the small Pokemon in a hug, lifting it from the floor.

"A fine choice." Elm commented.

"Awesome, I got Totodile." Robbie exclaimed as approached the water type.

"I'm glade you all got your preferred choice." Elm said before looking directly at Robbie. "Robbie, move your hand!"

"Hmm?" Robbie said as he lifted both his hands in time to escape having Totodile's jaw snap shut on his left hand. His hand had previously been above Totodile's head, moving ever so slightly which gained the attention of the Pokemon. "Whoa!"

"Young Totodile such as this one are very impulsive for a time. Until it matures a bit Robbie, I would suggest you be careful if your going to have it walking alongside you." Elm explained, receiving a nod from the boy.

"Don't worry Professor, I'll keep an eye on it." He replied. "So when can we enter the Battle Circuit?"

"You've already been entered." Elm replied, surprising the group. "Your debut is in two weeks in the Violet City Battle Dome."

"Awesome!" Robbie exclaimed.

"But you'll be need one of these if you're aiming for the Regional Title or the IBF." Elm went on, removing three 7th Generation Pokedex's from the pockets of his lab coat. "This is also your Battle Circuit license so do your best to keep it safe."

"You're just going to give us Pokedex's?" Mari asked as she accepted the small hand held device from the Professor.

"Of course. All three of you have the potential to reach out and travel beyond the Johto Region. I want to you guys to go out and record information on any Pokemon you see. Professor Evergreen from Kanto informed me that the Committee had renewed the Pokdex information so we have to start recollecting the data for the 8th Generation." Elm explained.

"So can we get going no Professor?" Robbie asked, anxious to begin his journey.

"Before you leave, I want to warn you guys about the organization known as Team Rocket. Avoid them at all costs. The Pokemon Committee is handling the situation with them. Getting caught in that cross fire will get in you in a lot of trouble." Elm continued. "Remain focused on your own goals as a trainer and your journey will proceed smoothly."

"Sure thing Professor." Mari and Robbie said together to reassure him that they'll be fine. Blake gave him a short nod, deciding to remain silent.

* * *

><p>"So where are you guys from?" Robbie inquired as the trio made it to the west exit of New Bark Town which led out onto Route 29. Professor Elm suggested that they travel together until they make it to Cherrygrove City in order to help the Pokemon they had just received mature a bit before they head off to begin their individual journey's.<p>

"I'll go first. My name is Mari. I'm from Cherrygrove City. I live with my mother and we work the local flower. I'm aiming for the Johto Title right now. If I win, maybe I'll move onto to the IBF." Mari explained.

"Too small." Blake muttered as they walked, gaining Mari's attention.

"What?" She asked.

"You're dream is too small." Blake repeated. "If you're going to aim for a Title, it might as well be the World Title."

"True that!" Robbie added.

"Do you really think you can just go straight for the World Title?" Mari asked.

"I'm not aiming for a World Title." Blake replied. "I'm aiming for the Golden Flash."

Robbie and Mari became deathly silent. The Golden Flash was recognized as the strongest trainer to ever enter the Battle Circuit. No one in their right mind would battle this trainer at their own choosing. Unfortunately, once you reached the World stage, at one point or another in your career you were bound to end up on the hit list of the Golden Flash.

"Are you insane?!" Robbie exclaimed, averting his gaze from Totodile who was beside him. The small Pokemon looked up at his hand once again which, leaping up to chomp down on it once again. Robbie gave a shout of pain while Mari repeated his question.

"No. I just want to battle him." Blake replied.

"You'll be crushed in an instant! The Golden Flash has never been beaten by anyone. He's one of the few people that still have a perfect record in the Battle Circuit." Mari went on, but Blake didn't waver from this.

"Big deal. Anyone can be beaten." Blake responded. "All you need to do is study them long enough to come up with countermeasures."

Mari only shrugged. It seemed like Blake wouldn't change his goal no matter how impossible it was.

"Are you okay?" Mari asked, looking back at Robbie who had finally yanked his hand out of Totodile's mouth, clearly trying to suppress his urge to yell.

"Yeah...I'll be fine." He said through grit teeth.

"So where are you from?" Mari asked, deciding to help Robbie by distracting him from his pain.

"I'm from Olivine City. I live with my brother who works down in the harbor." Robbie replied. "I'm aiming for the World Summit."

Mari now gave Robbie an look a shock while Blake raised and eyebrow. While the Golden Flash stood at the top of the Battle Circuit as the ultimate Champion, the World Summit was a gathering of all the strongest trainer to decide who have the right to face off against the Golden Flash in one spectacular showdown.

"You've got be kidding me, don't either of you have any smaller goals?" Mari asked, receiving a dull stare from both boys.

"Winning in a region like Johto will get you no where on the World stage." Blake said. "Think bigger."

"Yeah. Maybe we'll meet at some point in the Johto Circuit, or possibly the IBF." Robbie noted.

"I'll try not to crush you too quickly." Blake stated, gaining Robbie's attention.

"Hah, that's a good laugh." Robbie called out. "I beaten C-Class trainers without even having a debut yet. I'm pretty sure I'm tougher than you."

"Oh really, let's see if you can back up those words." Blake said as Larvitar took its place in front of Blake, prepared to begin a battle. Robbie detacted the second Poke-ball he had on his belt, ready to hurl it into the air when Mari interrupted.

"Hang on guys. Why don't we settle this at the Rookie Kings." She said, halting their battle before it could begin.

"The Rookie Kings..." Blake muttered. This was a small tournament for R-Class or Rookie trainers in the Battle Circuit. It was a quick way for trainers with small records to increase their rank and popularity. The winner would be bumped up to C-Class status which would was a good position to be in as a young trainer. It would be proof of whether you could sink or swim in the Battle Circuit.

"Alright then, I'll see you guys there." Blake said, inviting Larvitar to return to his shoulder.

"What?" Robbie called out as Blake took off in a dash with his two Pokemon on his shoulders. Leaving the two of them behind, Blake looked toward the forest route that was Route 29. This would be the beginning of his journey. And the first thing on his checklist was Violet City.

* * *

><p><strong>First chapter. Looking for some feedback so if you have any suggestions, please tell me what you have to say. I really like to know.<strong>

**As for the whole system of the Battle Circuit, its more or less a glorified version of the Pokemon League, but its for trainers of every level. In this system reputation is everything. To climb to the top you have to tear others down. Survival of the fittest.**

**Inside the Battle Circuit there is numerous lesser Circuits that make up the entire thing. At the base of the Battle Circuit is the Regional level where trainers from any specific Region battle within those boundaries to increase their home ranking. Once you've increased your reputation in your home region, you can move on to begin battling in other Regions to improve your ranking in the IBF. This would be the equivalent of the international level in terms of sports. Then when you've developed a large following in all four regions, you can move on to World level to pursue the title of World Champion.**

**Oh, and all revenue is gained from the Battle Circuit. Unofficial battles will not earn you any money, its just training and nothing more.  
><strong>

**So please review. I want to know what everyone is thinking of this.**


	2. Enter Matt

Chapter 2

**4/8/0046/Dusk**

**Route 29**

Even with the decent head start he had gotten on Mari and Robbie, the duo he had left standing at the west exit of New Bark Town still managed to catch up with him after he engaged a flock of Pidgey's in battle. Most of the small birds had flown off the moment Cyndaquil and Larvitar burst into the are they had been resting. Only one remained, which proved to be easy picking for Larvitar.

From that point onward, they remained together deciding that it was best to stick together until they had given their new Pokemon some more time to grow in the field.

"Why didn't you catch one of those Pidgey?" Mari inquired as she looked toward Blake who was currently setting up his hammock with his usual silence.

"I'm not interested in Pidgey's." Blake replied as he tied up the second end of his hammock to the trunk of another tree.

"Why not?" Robbie asked, as if he had been hurt by Blake statement.

"They don't possess the kind of strength I'm looking for." Blake said in response.

"They're not weak! I happen to have a Pidgeotto that's responsible for a lot of my wins back in Olivine City!" Robbie proclaimed, getting a shrug from Blake.

"Big deal."

"You know what, I bet my Pidgeotto could kick your ass right now!" Robbie declared, detaching a Poke-ball from his belt. Blake glanced over his shoulder at Robbie, an inviting smirk forming on his face.

"Well let's see how that goes. Larvitar let's-" Blake began before the female brunette jumped in between the two boys, putting out her hands to halt their battle.

"Just save it for the Rookie Kings guys." Mari said, silencing them with the quick reminder. Blake gave Mari a quick glance, slightly irritated that she had interrupted the battle before he returned his gaze to follow.

"We'll settle this at the Rookie Kings." Blake said before turning away from the two trainers behind him, joining his Pokemon on the hammock. Robbie shrugged before flopping down on his sleeping back. It would be better to settle this in an official match anyway. It would give him some more the time to prepare.

"Just you wait Blake, I show you just how strong I am." Robbie said out loud, gaining a smirk from the dark haired boy that was resting in his hammock.

"Hey Blake, can you go get some firewood?" Mari asked politely as she approached him.

"Ask someone else." Blake replied as he rolled over.

Mari stomped her foot, groaning in annoyance before grabbing one side of Blake's hammock. She pulled it downward which caused the entire hammock to flip from the sudden imbalance in weight, throwing Blake, Cyndaquil and Larvitar to the ground.

"What do you think you're doing?" Blake hissed at her with a glare as Cyndaquil and Larvitar added their own glares.

"Firewood." She said, pointing at the woods.

"That's not going to happen." Blake replied, rising up from the ground.

"Is this a match?" Mari said suddenly, holding the small flammable stick near Blake's hammock. Glaring at Mari one again, he was more than tempted to try and prove that the girl was bluffing, but if she truly did set his hammock on fire, Blake knew he wouldn't be getting a replacement anytime soon.

"Firewood, right." He mumbled, leading his partners off into the forest. He could hear Robbie laughing as ventured into the woods.

**Kanto Region**

**Viridian City**

"Hey Lombre, let's get moving." The seventeen year old boy said to the green Pokemon standing on its hind legs, it's arms hanging loosely at it's sides with a green lily pad that looked like a sombrero on its head.

The boy possessed some curly brown hair, the top of it hidden under a red hat with the Poke-ball logo on the front. He wore a black shirt with two thin, yellow, vertical stripes and a pair of black cargo shorts. He was fair skinned with a sprinkle of freckles on both of his cheeks. On his back was a one-strap backpack and around his waist was a belt to hold a Potion and the Poke-balls he would need for his journey.

His record in the Battle Circuit was Two Matches-Two Wins-No Losses. An R-Class Trainer. He went by the name of Matt, and he had been requested to come to Kanto by the Regional Professor to help her fill out the latest Pokedex.

"Lombre!" It said in agreement. Matt's Lombre was an unusual Lombre since most of the time, this Pokemon was slow to move, agree or do anything really. On the other hand, Matt's was very energetic and curious, similar to its final evolution, a Ludicolo. The two of them were currently standing outside the Viridian Pokemon Center, wondering if they should continue north, or head west.

"Hey Lombre, do you want to check out Route 22?" Matt asked, looking down at his partner who gave him a nod. "Then let's get going."

After several minutes of walking, the two reached the west end of Viridian City, leaving civilization for the a densely forested area that was extremely dark in the night.

"Hmm, that's odd." Matt said, looking down at the Map function on his Pokedex. "The pathway on the right leads to Victory Road, but the one straight ahead hasn't been recorded…Let's go straight Lombre and do some exploring."

Matt and Lombre continued to travel down the dark pathway, looking into the darkness along side the pathway. A thick fog set in as they continued down at the path that quickly left Matt and Lombre confused and lost.

"Lombre, stay close by." Matt said before sighing when his Lombre practically jumped on his leg where it clung on for dear life.

Continuing forward, the fog lightened up a bit, but not enough for Matt to notice he was walking into a lake.

"Aw man, I just bought these." He muttered, feeling how soaked his socks had become. "Where's the edge of the lake?"

Looking around, Matt began to move backward before noticing the silhouette of a creature standing on top of the water, hidden by the fog. It stood on all fours with a long flowing mane and an oddly shaped horn on its head the resembled a hexagon.

"What's that?" Matt asked himself, taking out his Pokedex.

Matt lifted up the device and pointed the lens at the creature, taking a quick snapshot of it. The Pokedex lit up, showing Matt the picture he had just taken before declaring that there were no matches.

"Maybe if I get a little closer." Matt said, beginning to move further into the lake to get a better picture. He wasn't going pass off this opportunity. He had never seen or heard of a Pokemon that looked like this one. Lombre released its hold on Matt's leg to float beside him.

As he neared it, Matt made it through another layer of fog allowing him to get a better look at the mystery Pokemon. It possessed aqua blue fur with white diamonds scattered about on its body. He took a second picture, but this time his Pokedex began to speak, rather loudly.

"Oh boy." Matt muttered to himself, stuffing the Pokedex into his pocket to muffle the sound, but the Pokemon had take note of his presence. Then it roared, its eyes becoming a bright blue that could easily be seen through the fog. 'So much for being friendly...'

A harsh gust of wind blew through the area, clearing of the fog, but it also carried Matt up into the air. Lombre called out to its trainer, reaching for the boy who was well out of its reach. Matt grunted, feeling a sharp pain turn through his right wrist before it lit up in an aqua blue similar to the Pokemon's fur.

Then the wind began to pour into his wrist, being absorbed by the markings which caused him an immense amount of pain.

**Johto Region**

**Route 29**

Cyndaquil looked up at its trainer, curiosity evident on its face as Blake dropped the pile of twigs and sticks he had been holding, falling to one knee. he wore a pained expression as he clutched his right wrist which was throbbing.

"Cynda?" It asked, approaching Blake before it was cut by Larvitar who had seen Blake like this a few times before.

"Larvitar, Lar." Larvitar said to Cyndaquil, assuring it that Blake would be fine in a few minutes...hopefully.

Rolling up the sleeve of his jacket that covered his right arm, Blake found that his wrist was producing a bright grey light in a small design. Two pointed ovals resting right on top his wrist that resembled a pair of sharp eyes. And just below that was a small gray triangle.

Eventually, the pain subsided, allowing Blake to recollect the items he had dropped. Looking down at his two Pokemon, Blake assured them that he was fine.

'The eyes are still there, but the triangle is new. It must mean something.'

**Kanto Region**

**Route 22**

Once all of the wind swirling around Matt disappeared into his wrist, the creature sprinted off into the night, leaving Matt to plummet into the water.

"Lombre!" Matt's partner Pokemon shouted, beginning to swim toward its trainer who had just crashed into the lake, remaining unresponsive to his Pokemon's calls. Matt resurfaced, being carried away by the strong east current leading to the mouth of a river.

Once Lombre caught up with Matt who was face down in the water, it swam under him, getting itself in between Matt's torso and the single strap of his backpack. Lombre then pushed Matt's head out of the water to make sure he didn't intake anymore water.

Lombre attempted to turn around and swim back to the lake, but both of them had already been pulled into the current and there was no turning back now. As Lombre turned around, it noticed the dark tunnel it and Matt was headed for. Lombre looked around for anything, but nothing presented itself for Lombre to grab.

Lombre gulped as they were swallowed by the darkness of the cave, unable to see anything. As they floated down the river, a thunderous roar filled silence of the place, growing in volume.

"Lombre?" It said to itself, confused on why it didn't feel any water beneath for a couple of seconds. Matt and Lombre crashed into the water below after a fifty foot drop, creating a decent sized splash.

Before Lombre and Matt could resurface, the strong current created by the water fall forced them along to the exit of the cave. Lombre burst out of the water still attached to Matt, staring a head at the dark light at the end of cave.

At the mouth of the cave, the reflection of the moon could be seen on the large river that was flowing outward toward the beach near a small town. Lombre took note of the young woman in a sun dress standing on the beach, looking up at the moon. Quickly, it swam to the shoreline, pulling Max on to the sand before running over to the lady.

"Lombre!" It shouted, pulling on her dress.

"Ah, hello there." She said kindly.

"Lombre!" It shouted again, pointing to where it had left Matt, except Matt was no longer there.

Lombre looked around for a moment before noticing Matt floating in the water of the lake, drifting out into the center of the water..

"Lom-bre!" It shouted , sprinting back to the water where it dove back and caught Matt by the back of his shirt before bringing him back to the shore. This time, dual type Pokemon pulled him all the way up the beach to make sure that the tide didn't pull him away a second time.

"Oh my, is he okay?" She asked, checking Matt's soaked clothing. "Let's bring him back to my house, I'll dry his clothes there and give you something to eat."

Lombre lifted up Matt's legs, unable to do anything else until it felt the rest of Matt's body being lifted by the woman.

**Johto Region**

**New Bark Town**

**Orphanage**

Matt was awoken by a group of loud children who couldn't keep their mouth shut even though it was ten o'clock at night.

"Will you guys shut up! Some people are trying to sleep over here." Matt shouted at the group kids that he wasn't familiar with. Blinking twice, Matt noticed that his surroundings weren't familiar either. "Wait, who are you people? And where am I?"

The kids only snickered at Matt before whispering to one another.

"I told you guys to stay out of this room!" A woman shouted, barging into the room holding a broom which she proceeded to hit the children with to chase them out of the room. Once the kids were gone, the woman sighed before taking a seat on the bed Matt had previously been sleeping on.

"Um, who are you?" Matt asked before noticing that he was only dressed in a robe. "And why am I dressed in only a robe? Where am I? Where's my Lombre?"

"Calm down, your Lombre is fine; it's down stairs with the other kids." The woman began. "Your clothes are drying in the basement and you're dressed like that to make sure you don't catch a cold. You can call me Lola."

"Oh, well thanks. My name's Matt." Matt said. "Where am I?"

"Darn, I knew I missed one." She muttered, snapping her fingers before giving Matt a grin. "Anway, you're in the New Bark Town Orphanage. I found you at the beach near the exit of Tohjo Falls with your Lombre. You were completely soaked, so being the kind, considerate person I am, I brought you here."

"New Bark Town…" Matt said, repeating it twice before realization hit him. "That's in the Johto Region!"

"Is there a problem?" Lola asked, wondering what his sudden out burst could be for.

"Yeah, Professor Evergreen is going to kill me." Matt said, jumping off the bed he had been resting on, beginning to move around the room frantically.

"You know Professor Evergreen?"

"Yup, she called me in from Hoenn to help her record the data for the 8th Generation Pokedex for Kanto but now I'm in Johto. Do you know a way back?"

"There isn't one. You'd need the HM Waterfall to get back and you can only get that in Blackthorn City which is behind the moutain to the north. The quickest way back to Kanto is through the Battle Circuit." Lola answered.

"Really, how?"

"Once a year there's the IBF Tourney where trainers from any region in the B-Class and up battle for the chance of rise to the top of the IBF. At the end of the first round of the tournament, a large number of trainers go onto the second round in a different region. Each year it changes where the finals will take place so you'll just have to hope that this year they send the trainers to Kanto at some point." Lola explained.

"Wow, how do you know all of this?" Matt asked.

"I'm a former IBF Champion." Lola said, getting a pair of raised eyebrows from Matt.

"No way." He said in a slow whisper.

"Yep." Lola said with a nod before motioning for him to follow her. "Now come on, let's go give Professor Evergreen a call."

"You know her."

"Yeah, we go way back."

* * *

><p>Down stairs, Lombre was having a grand time playing with the young children that lived in the orphanage. It had been here for a few hours now, at first following Lola around the house before it was drawn into one of the games the kids were playing together.<p>

"Hey Lombre!" Matt called out to his Pokemon from the balcony above in his usual outfit, waving to the Pokemon. "Did you miss me?"

"Lombre!" It said excitedly, returning Matt's wave.

"That's you're trainer?" One of the kids asked, looking up at Matt who was coming down the staircase.

"Yup, me and Lombre are from the Hoenn Region." Matt replied as he neared the group.

"Wow. That's so cool!" One of the little girls exclaimed, looking up at Matt who was much taller than the rest of them.

"I bet Blake is stronger than him." One of them cut in.

"Definitely."

"He's got a Larvitar that's unbeatable."

"Oh please. Lombre would win hands down. One Grass or Water type attack would destroy his Larvitar." Matt claimed confidently declared, getting many blank stares from the children. "Right Lola?"

"...I'm not really sure about that one." She began, speaking slowly to give herself as much time as she could to think. "Blake is, special. It's almost like he exists on a different plane compared to regular trainers. I've only seen him battle seriously once, and I can say with confidence that Blake can turn around almost any situation, no matter how bad it is."

"Blake will beat you."

"Yeah, no contest."

"Oh yeah, what's his Battle Circuit record?" Matt asked. "I have two matches and two wins, no losses."

"He just left today, we dunno his record."

"Doesn't matter. Blake can beat anyone, including a dummy head like you."

"Hush you." Lola said at the children, sending them away. "Sorry about that, Blake has been their hero ever since he was their age and since he hasn't lost once, they believe he will never lose. And for their sake, I hope he doesn't."

"For their sake?"

"This is an orphanage Matt. Those kids don't have much to be happy about considering they don't even have parents. Blake made a promise to them that he would never lose. He's the light in their day, even though he never acts like it. They all love him and he's kept his promise so far." Lola explained.

"Well I'm sorry, but my goal is to be the World Champion and nothing is going to stop me. It's a shame, knowing I'm going to crush so many kids happiness but that won't stop me." Matt stated.

"Good."

"Good? Aren't you all angry that I'm going to beat Blake?" Matt said in confusion.

"No, not at all. He's been looking for a rival or anyone that can give him a challenge. He wants to find out what strength really is and he thinks he knows where his answer is." Lola went on.

"Really. Where is it?"

"He believes that the Golden Flash has his answer and that once he beats him, he'll find it."

"What! He's aiming to take down the Golden Flash?" Matt exclaimed loudly. "I don't believe in geniuses but that guy is a monster. The undefeated United World Champion of the Battle Circuit. That guy is a real Pokemon genius." Matt said.

"You could say Blake is too." Lola added.

"Huh?" Matt said. "What's that supposed to mean."

"In the Battle Circuit, you have two types of geniuses that can exist. You have a trainer that can naturally tame any kind of Pokemon out there and create such a close bond with them that they can reach a state of a mind where you could say they're battling as one." Lola explained, receiving a nod from Matt. "Then you have a genius like the Golden Flash and Blake. They naturally possess a battle hardened mindset that has a deep understanding of the mechanics behind each attack and how they work, and how to counter them. They're the most dangerous because they're the type that gathers information over time, and they continue learning as they battle so they make progress no matter what."

"So basically what your saying is that only the geniuses in the Battle Circuit are the ones who cane make it to the top?" Matt asked, getting a smirk from Lola.

"If that's how you interpreted it."

"Well that doesn't matter to me. I've seen tons of trainers with no talent make it to the World stage and I plan on doing the same with all my strength, knowledge and tricks. Genius or not, I'm going to take down anyone, including Blake." Matt declared, receiving nothing but silence for a few moments in reply.

'He'll be a great rival for Blake.' Lola noted mentally. 'And when the two of the clash, it will be a battle that no one will forget.'

* * *

><p>"Hello, Professor Evergreen?" Matt said, holding the phone against his ear while looking at the monitor in front of him that displayed an image of Professor Evergreen holding a phone on her end.<p>

She was a skinny woman, slightly on the tall side with long black hair stopping near the middle of her back with two hair clips holding her bangs behind her ears. Two bright green eyes started at Matt through the video phone.

"Ah, Matt, how are you doing?" She asked curiously. "I heard about your two victories in the Battle Circuit, good job. How's your Pokedex coming along."

"Thank you Professor, and its coming along nicely. I already have nineteen Pokemon cataloged." Matt replied nervously, getting a warm smile from the woman.

"I can see that everything is going nicely for you already. Keep up the good work." She said.

"Umm Professor, I ran into a bit of a problem." Matt began quietly, getting a confused glance from the woman on the other end of the call.

"What happened?"

"I'm stuck in Johto." Matt spoke quickly, hoping that maybe she wouldn't understand what she said, but somehow she still managed to comprehend his words.

"What!" She shouted into the phone. "How did you manage to do that? It's only been two weeks since I sent you to get started with this project, and your already off fooling around in a different region!"

"I'm sorry Professor. I found this weird Pokemon and then there was a wind storm and then I woke up in New Bark Town!" Matt yelled back, confused as to why he was yelling now.

"Hmm, alright then. Put you're Pokedex into the port on the phone. I'm updating it to the National Dex." She said, Matt following her orders. "You had better get data on all 460 Pokemon including the Legendary Pokemon."

"What!" Matt screamed. He was completely blown away by her demands, but before he could protest she hung up the phone.

"I have 460 Pokemon to get data on." Matt mumbled to her.

"Is it really necessary that you go through all of that trouble?" Lola asked, receiving a nod from Matt.

"I came to Kanto with a price. Basically my dad sold me to Professor Evergreen since he needed the money, although I was happy to leave. Even though I didn't get any of the money, its not like I can just ditch her after she bought me." Matt explained, calling for Lombre since it was time to go. "But whatever, at least I know I won't be getting bored anytime soon with a job this big."

"Good luck Matt." Lola said. She wanted to ask about his father selling him, but it was clear to her that Matt himself didn't want to talk about. "If you ever meet Blake, ask him for some Pokedex data, he got one from Professor Elm."

Matt seemed to perk up from Lola's reminder.

"I almost forgot. I can ask other Pokedex Holders for the info they collected." Matt said with a sly smile. "I'll be seeing you Lola, thanks for cleaning me up. Next time you see me will be at the World's Summit. I'll be the guy they're calling the new World Champion!"

**4/11/0046/Morning**

**Route 29**

Blake, Mari and Robbie slowly trekked down along the dirt road on an incline.

"This hill over looks Cherrygrove City. I'd always come up here when I was a kid." Mari said as they neared the top of the hill.

"Is Cherrygrove City that nice?" Robbie asked curiously.

"Didn't you see it while you were passing through?" Mari asked.

"Nah, my brother dropped me off at New Bark Town with his Pidgeot to keep me out of trouble." Robbie replied sheepishly.

"Oh…It's a really beautiful town. Nothing but flowers and colorful plants and today will be the last day of the Flower Festival. It's such a pretty occasion." Mari explained. "You'll see it in just a moment."

Blake sniffed the air, catching a light scent of smoke. As they reached the top of the hill, Mari gasped, covering her mouth with both her hands.

"This is nothing like what you said." Robbie noted, looking down at the burning city. The wooden houses of the city were being burned to the ground by dozens of people in black. "What's going on down there?"

'Team Rocket!' Blake shouted mentally. 'I'll start my search for Alan here.'

"Larvitar, Cyndaquil, let's go!" Blake said suddenly, his partners jumping up onto his shoulders. With a moments notice, Blake was sprinting down the long hill toward Cherrygrove City.

"Hey Blake, where are you going?" Robbie shouted, preparing to follow him before noticing that Mari had yet to move. "Come on Mari, let's go check this out!"

* * *

><p><strong>And here's chapter 2. This is still part of the opening to this fic. I still have quite a few people to introduce along with a few conflicts. Thanks for reading.<strong>


	3. Team Rocket Appears

Chapter 3

**Cherrygrove City**

The once peaceful, flower filled town that was ironically labeled as a city had been over run at the break of dawn by the tyrant organization known as Team Rocket. Fortunately, the army of men and woman in black uniforms met resistance in the town from the trainers who had gathered for the annual Flower Festival that was held once a year.

The flaming town was littered with people dressed in black that were either battling the trainers that were present or setting house on fire without a care in the world. They weren't taking any hostages, but many of the citizens who didn't possess any Pokemon to protect themselves were being brutalized by the members of Team Rocket.

Blake came running into the town, trying to slow himself down from the speed he had picked up from coming down a hill. Now he could clearly see the number of battles taking place all over the place, and while Team Rocket wasn't at a clear advantage, it was obvious that they were steadily knocking out the number of Pokemon that were halting the progress they could make. The closet battle to Blake's location was a small battle between a tiny Bird Pokemon that Blake identified as Pidgey and the opponent was a Rattata that belonged to the male Team Rocket Grunt.

"Pidgey, stay strong and use Tackle." The male trainer called out, giving his Pidgey a new set of orders. Pidgey rushed forward, aiming to slam its body into Rattata for some physical damage.

"Rattata, dodge and then use Tackle." The Grunt countered. Rattata quickly sidestepped Pidgey's frontal attack before ramming Pidgey from the side which sent it sliding across the dirt on its side with a squawk of pain. "Let's finish this Rattata."

"Cyndaquil, use Tackle." Blake whispered to Cyndaquil who jumped down from his shoulder, charging into the battle. Cyndaquil came rushing from the right, hitting the unsuspecting Rattata head on which sent it tumbling across the ground.

"Rattata." The Grunt muttered, seeing that his Pokemon would no longer be able to battle like it was now. This was signified by a pair of black swirls that had taken the place of its eyes. The Grunt was quick to return his Rattata before retreating into the streets of the town, leaving Blake alone with the trainer.

"Here, use this." Blake said, approaching the boy who was helping his downed Pidgey. Removing his Potion from he pouch it was resting on his belt, Blake passed it to the bow.

"Thanks for the help." He replied, accepting the battle which he then proceeded to spray Pidgey with, restoring its health.

"No problem. Cyndaquil, Larvitar, let's move." Blake said, looking down at his partners who have him a nod before following him on foot. Moving through the town with a light jog, Blake found and empty street where nearly every single wooden house was ablaze. If only he had a Water Pokemon right now, he could do something about all of these house, but Larvitar couldn't help in this situation, and Cyndaquil was only capable of making it worse.

As he jogged down the empty street, Blake heard a high pitched scream followed by a wooden stoll breaking through the glass window of a nearby shop. Blake came to stop by the store, tempted to continue his search for Alan, but the sign in front of the shop had captured his attention. Cherrygrove Flowers.

_'I live with my mother and we work the local flower shop.'_ Mari had said to this the day he met her, but Blake still continued past the shop for just a few steps before he stopped again with a groan. His subconscious wouldn't let this slide, even if he did have a chance to find Alan.

'I'm going to regret it if I don't go.' Blake mumbled to himself mentally as he turned around and made his way over to the front door of the floor shop where he peered inside. What he found inside was a woman huddled in a corner of the store with an Ekans slithering around on the floor in front of her, occasionally hissing at her to keep her silent. On the counter seated next to the register was a young woman clad in a Team Rocket uniform, her legs crossed in front of her as she examined her finger nails.

"Larvitar, use Rock Throw." Blake whispered to Larvitar since the female Grunt hadn't noticed them standing outside the doorway.

"Nothing but flowers and berries Carol." Someone shouted from the room behind the counter as Larvitar smashed its little arm into the ground, creating a small crack at the point of impact. From there, Larvitar pulled its arm up, taking a chunk of earth out the ground that matched the size of its body.

"Keep looking, I've got things under control out here." She replied, watching as the woman stared horrifically at the Snake Pokemon in front of her. It was clear that she wasn't prepared for battle when Ekans suddenly disappeared out of her line of sight after a brown blur passed through followed by a crash. The two women in the room could only gasp and turn their heads to see a large stone pressed into the wall with Ekans head and tail sticking out rom behind it.

After a few moments, the stone fell off, allowing Ekans to drop to the ground with where it gave a weak hiss before both its eyes became black swirls.

"Hey, who're you?" The female Grunt asked, glancing at the doorway where she now found Blake blocking the exit with his Cyndaquil and Larvitar.

"Your worst nightmare." Blake replied, glaring at the woman.

"Believe me kid, you're nothing compared to that." She responded rather casually, hoping off the counter while removing a Poke-ball from her belt. "Slugma, let's go!"

She tossed the Poke-ball into the air, releasing a bright orange puddle of bubbling lava on the floor that surprisingly didn't burn right through the floor of the store. From the lava rose a small head with two bright yellow eyes and a pair of small flames acting as eyebrows. Cyndaquil stepped forward, igniting the flames on its back as a sign that it want to battle.

"No Cyndaquil. This Slugma is too strong for you." Blake cut in before Cyndaquil to initiate the battle. Larvitar also stepped in its way as well, giving it a sharp glance.

"Larvitar." It said to Cyndaquil, getting a glare from the Fire type Pokemon it shrugged, stepping backward.

"How cute." Carol noted with a grin, watching Cyndaquil and Larvitar's short exchange. "Two little Pokemon and their puny trainer."

Blake, Cyndaquil and Larvitar all focused on Carol. Together, trainer and Pokemon gave the woman the harshest glare they could muster which left the woman a little unnerved that a teenager could put on such a mean scowl.

"Larvitar, use Rock Throw again." Blake said, watching the small Pokemon smash its tiny arm into the ground again, pulling out a large rock.

"Slugma, jump to your left." Carol said quickly as Larvitar hurled the stone at Slugma. The Lava Pokemon leaped to its right, evading the attack that broke right through the wooden counter with ease. Even though its attack had been avoided, Larvitar followed after Slugma, waiting for Blake's order for a close range attack. "Slugma, shake it off with Ember!"

Slugma came to a stop, opening up its mouth to release a small blast of flames at Larvitar who had just come to a stop in front of it. To say Larvitar was caught off guard was an understatement, but getting caught off guard only made the small Rock Skin Pokemon angry as it held its ground against the flames, only being pushed back a few feet from the flames. After a few moments, Larvitar shook the flames off its body before smirking at Carol and Slugma. It had taken little to no damage from that Ember attack.

"Oh yeah, Larvitar's are Rock types." Carol noted out loud in a rather air headed manner. "I'll need a stronger fire attack then."

"Larvitar, get it with Bite." Blake ordered, wondering how someone like Carol had been accepted into Team Rocket without a basic understanding of each Pokemon and the types they possessed.

Larvitar lunged forward at Slugma, opening its mouth as wide as it could where it revealed a pair of white fangs that had grown out a few inches just for the usage of this attack.

"Slugma, use Flame Thrower now!" Carol hollered. Slugma opened its mouth, breathing out a stream of flames from its mouth at the approaching Larvitar, hitting it head on. The flames disrupted Larvitar's attack and sent it flying backward into the wall of the store. Larvitar dropped to the ground, its small green body engulfed in flames.

* * *

><p>Robbie and Mari rushed into the town, observing the condition of the town with stunned horror.<p>

"I was just hear less then a week ago." Mari muttered to herself, looking around at the burning buildings. Who would do something like this. What person in their right mind was capable of setting a peaceful town like this on fire.

"Totodile, use Water Gun on the houses." Robbie shouted to his partner, pointing at the nearest building that was in flames. The Gator Pokemon opened up its mouth, releasing a jet of flames to begin fighting the flames.

"Zubat, use Wing Attack!" A Grunt shouted from Robbie's left.

"Huh?" Robbie turned to see a blue blur whoosh past him. Totodile was suddenly knocked to its side followed by a screech from a small blue bat that was now flapping its wings, hovering the air over Totodile.

"What do you think you're doing?" The male Grunt asked, walking toward Robbie. "We're sending a message to the Committee, so don't even think of trying to oppose of us."

"Team Rocket! Why're you attacking Cherrygrove City? This is Mari's home!" Robbie shouted back at the Grunt who cringed at the volume of Robbie's voice.

"As if I care kid. This is nothing but the woodlands. If you ask me, they should've burned this place down and make another place like Goldenrod City." The grunt commented, enraging Mari with the insult of her home town.

"Chikorita, use Tackle on him!" She roared, having heard enough from this man's mouth. Chikorita charged forward toward the grunt, ramming itself against the side of his torso which sent him to the ground with a hard thud. "Eevee, use Quick Attack on Zubat!"

The second Poke-ball Mari had tossed into the air released another Pokemon, this one being small and brown, standing on all fours.

"Eevee!" It said before rushing forward at a high speed, leaving a white streak behind it as it raced toward Zubat. Zubat was sent flying into the building next to it, hitting the wood with a thud before it dropped to the ground. Two black swirls formed on its head where its eyes would've been located meaning it had fainted.

"Don't you ever talk bad about Cherrygrove City or else you'll have to deal with me!" Mari shouted at the Grunt who was resting on the ground, clutching the spot on his torso that Chikorita had hit. "Chikorita, Eevee, follow me!"

"Yeah Totodile, let's go!" Robbie said, following Mari into the burning town. The two of them were on a mission to protect Cherrygrove City, and they didn't plan on letting Team Rocket get away with this without a fight.

* * *

><p>"Alright, I got him!" Carol said happily since Larvitar had yet to move after taking the Flame Thrower attack straight to its body.<p>

"Larvitar, get on your feet." Blake said in a deadpan. Larvitar, who hadn't moved at all for the last thirty seconds jumped to its feet, taking off the flames just like the Ember attack as if they were nothing. "They're pretty strong aren't they?"

"Lar-Larvitar." It responded, giving an nod of agreement..

"Then let's end this." Blake proclaimed, getting a snort from Carol.

"Well, aren't you a tough one?" Carol called out playfully. "Slugma, use Flame Thrower again."

Slugma opened its mouth once more, breathing out a stream of flames toward Larvitar who fearlessly stared at the fire.

"Larvitar, use Rock Throw, but keep the rock and hold it in front of you." Blake said to Larvitar. The Rock type Pokemon ripped another stone out of the ground, placing it in between itself and the path of the flames, prevent the flames from ever connecting with it. "Now, throw it."

Larvitar took a moment to angle the rock so that it directed the flames away from it for a moment before chucking it at Slugma. The flames Slugma was spewing from its mouth couldn't stop the approaching rock or even slow it down before it hit, pulling the Fire type Pokemon off the ground. Slugma was sent straight into the counter from the super effective hit that wiped out all its health in one go.

"Ah, Slugma." Carol exclaimed sadly, raising her Poke-ball to return it to safety. She wasn't expecting her Slugma to go down, especially in a town like where low level trainers gathered to train before entering the Battle Circuit. It was clear that both this boy and his Pokemon were stronger than they appeared.

"Good job Larvitar." Blake complimented his Pokemon, giving it a thumbs up and a neutral expression.

"Larvitar." It said in return, mimicking Blake.

"Carol, what's going on out here?" Another female Grunt asked, coming out from the doorway that led into the storage area.

"This kid beat my Slugma and your Ekans." Carol replied, motioning to the unconscious Ekans that was resting on the floor. The woman the Snake Pokemon had been guarding had already fled, leaving them alone with Blake.

"It's alright, I found the Miracle Seed so we can report back to Alan." The second Grunt, returning Ekans to its Poke-ball.

The name Alan sent a chill down Blake's spine as he flinched before glaring darkly at the two Team Rocket Grunts, anger radiating off of him.

"Cyndaquil, Larvitar, block the exit." Blake said to his partners, placing himself in front of the only exit of the store with Larvitar and Cyndaquil. "Where is Alan and tell me what you know."

"Who do you think you are pipsqueak? I'll thrash you in an instant." The second Grunt declared, tossing another Poke-ball into the air, releasing a large mouse Pokemon that Blake could guess was related to Rattata based on its large front teeth.

"Raticate!" It said, glaring at Blake and his Pokemon.

"Raticate, use Quick Attack on him." The Grunt yelled, pointing toward Blake who's expression darkened now that they had classified him as a target along with his Pokemon.

Raticate rushed forward, closing in on Blake in an instant, leaving him with little time to react. Crossing his arms in front of his torso, Blake took the full force of the attack to his arms which sent him tumbling out the store with the large Pokemon on top of him. Cyndaquil followed Blake and Raticate while Larvitar remained where Blake had told it to stay. Raticate snarled at Blake, trying to bite him, but Blake used both his arms to hold back the Pokemon to prevent it from causing any further harm to him.

Cyndaquil rushed up toward Raticate from its side, throwing all its body weight at the Pokemon to knock it off of Blake before landing on all fours where it reignited the flames on its back. Raticate rolled twice before getting back on its feet again, glaring at Cyndaquil who gladly returned it, ready to battle.

"Cyndaquil!" It squealed at Raticate, prepared to defend its trainer at all costs. From the front door of the flower shop, Larvitar was suddenly ejected by a large blast of flames that had taken out of the remainder of its health. Even though the Fire attacks weren't very effective, the damage had stacked up on Larvitar, and now it paid the price. Larvitar landed on the ground a short distance from Blake, its eyes replaced with black swirls.

'Damn, just when I was going to find out something about Alan the situation flipped.' Blake mumbled to himself, returning Larvitar to its Poke-ball. And he left his Potion with that trainer for before. Now things looked pretty crappy for Blake unless something good happened.

"It looks like this is our win." The second Grunt said with a smirk as she and Carol exited the shop, a Magmar following them. "Raticate, use Quick Attack again!"

"Cyndaquil, use Quick Attack too." Blake ordered. The two Pokemon took off, racing each other at their fastest speed, leaving a white streak as they moved, but it was clear that Raticate was both faster and stronger than Cyndaquil. The two of them clashed, butting heads in the air, but Cyndaquil was sent reeling from the attack to Blake where it came to stop with a groan.

"Alright Raticate!" She cheered.

"Cyndaquil, you can't win this battle." Blake said to the struggling Pokemon, kneeling down next to it.

"Cyndaquil!" It hissed, glaring at Blake before forcing itself back onto its feet. The flames on its back grew in size, causing Blake to move back a bit for his own safety. Cyndaquil still wanted to fight, and it was clear that if had gained some power as well.

'Cyndaquil's special ability.' Blake said to himself, recalling what he had read on it. Now that Cyndaquil was damaged, the strength of its Fire type attacks had received a nice boost, and that was just what they needed. "Alright then, show them your Ember, full blast."

Cyndaquil opened its mouth, releasing a large blast of flames that was twice the size of its body, catching Raticate off guard. Raticate took the full blast of flames head on, its body disappearing inside the flames.

"Now follow up with Quick Attack!" Blake commanded. Cyndaquil charged at Raticate who was still in the flames, plowing itself into the bigger Pokemon's stomach which sent it sliding back to its trainer. Cyndaquil landed on its hind legs with a smirk, proud of the turn around.

"Raticate, get up!" The female Grunt shouted, watching as Raticate remained on the ground, the flames on its body eating away at its remaining health.

"It's not going to get up, it's suffering from a Burn." Carol explained. "Return it now. We've got what we needed."

The female Grunt quickly returned Raticate to its Poke-ball and followed Carol who began to run down the street.

"Come on Cyndaquil, let's move. We have to find Alan." Blake said before hearing a thud. Cyndaquil lay on the ground panting, the flames on its back going out.

"You must be tired. Take a rest." Blake offered, attempting to pick up the small Pokemon who refused his help, getting up on its own after resting for a moment to catch its breath.

* * *

><p>Mari and Robbie had been moving through the town with their Pokemon out battling the Team Rocket Grunts they stumbled onto until they reached the Pokemon Center where a lot of commotion was taking place. Team Rocket had formed a barricade around the Pokemon Center to prevent the trainers from healing their Pokemon. Now everyone had grouped together to try and break through the Team Rocket ranks and open the path to the Pokemon Center.<p>

"Let's go!" Mari said to Robbie who gave her nod in return.

"Totodile, use Water Gun on that Rattata." Robbie shouted, looking at the closest battle to his current position. Totodile opened it's mouth, shooting a stream of water at the Rattata that was currently engaged with a Caterpie.

The Rattata hadn't seen the blast of water approaching it from the side so it was hit by the full force of the attack, blowing it away.

Robbie and Totodile left Mari to help the trainer with the Caterpie, leaving her to find a battle she could help out in.

"Eevee, Chikorita, this way!" Mari said, heading toward a battle where one trainer was battle two Team Rocket grunts alone. "Chikorita, use Vine Whip."

As Chikorita approached the two on one battle, the green buds on its neck extended outward toward the battle, wrapping around the Zubat, surprising both the grunts that were battling a lone trainer and his Hoothoot. From there, Chikorita tossed Zubat to its left, sending it straight into the Koffing that was battle with it.

"Alright Chikorita, let's help them out." Mari said as Chikorita ran onto the battle field, joining the weakened Hoothoot.

"Thanks for the help." The boy said to Mari.

"No problem."

"Zubat, Wing Attack." One of the grunts said as the bat Pokemon sprung back up into the air. The Zubat burst forward, flying toward Hoothoot.

"Hoothoot, dodge it!" The boy said, but his Hoothoot could barely stand up much less move.

"Chikorita, intercept with Tackle." Mari shouted to the Grass Pokemon, watching it hit Zubat from side just before it hit Hoothoot.

"Koffing, Tackle." The second grunt said, the floating purple orb with large craters all over and a pair of eyes and a mouth obeying his command. Koffing charged forward, smashing itself into Chikorita just as it landed on the ground.

"Eevee, use Quick Attack on Koffing." Mari said, adding another Pokemon to the battle. The small brown Pokemon rushed forward, going toward Koffing from the front in a head on collision.

"Koffing, take down that fur ball!" The second grunt shouted, Koffing charging toward Eevee. The two collided with a thud, Eevee landing on its feet while Koffing was sent to the ground, the collision wiping out the rest of its health.

"Alright Eevee!" Mari cheered for her long time partner.

"Zubat, Screech!" The first grunt shouted. "Get the Chikorita."

Zubat was airborne again, flying over Chikorita. Zubat opened its mouth, releasing a high pitched scream with a circular sound wave exiting its mouth, rushing toward Chikorita who was focused on Eevee and Koffing.

"Hoothoot, use Confusion." The boy shouted.

Hoothoot, using the last of its strength, jumped in the sound waves path, its eyes turning a bright blue as the sound wave approached it. Just before the sound wave crashed down onto both Chikorita and Hoothoot, the space above of Hoothoot became distorted, causing the sound wave to fall apart before it hit, neither of the Pokemon taking an damage.

"Huh?" The first grunt said as the distorted space rushed up toward Zubat, crashing into the bat Pokemon. Zubat flapped its wings a few times trying to stay in the air before dropping to the ground, two black swirls on his head.

"Awesome Hoothoot! Nice job!" The boy said happily, running onto the field to get his Pokemon which collapsed to the ground.

"Grr, those kids got us." One of the grunts said to the other.

"No point staying, let's fall back." The other said as they returned their Pokemon to their Poke-balls before running of the west end of the town.

"Is your Hoothoot okay?" Mari asked, walking up to the boy.

"It's really tired. I guess we've done all we can here." He said, looking around at the other battles that were taking place.

"Here, maybe this will help." Mari said, taking the Potion on her belt out of its pouch. Mari kneeled down next to the boy and his Hoothoot, spraying it twice with the potion.

"Hoothoot!" It said after feeling its strength return.

"Yeah!" He said happily. "Thank you. Hoothoot, let's go!"

"Totodile, use Scratch!" Robbie shouted to Totodile who jumped forward at the Rattata.

"Rattata, dodge it." The grunt shouted.

The mouse Pokemon sidestepped the frontal attack, but Totodile was quick to halt its movement and turn to follow up on its attack, catching Rattata this time, landing the Scratch attack.

"Totodile, wrap this up with a close range Water Gun." Robbie shouted since Rattata had taken two steps back after taking the Scratch attack. Totodile opened its mouth, a stream of water rushing out from its mouth to Rattata, picking the Pokemon off the ground and pushing it straight into the Team Rocket grunt that was using it. "Nice Totodile."

Totodile turned around and gave Robbie a thumbs up at their latest victory.

"Hey you, let's battle!" Someone shouted to Robbie, getting his attention. A tall, male Team Rocket grunt with spiky brown hair and light skin stood where the grunt Robbie had just beaten was standing. His uniform was like the other grunts uniforms only instead of black, his was white and he lacked a hat like the others.

"Alright, Totodile lets do it." Robbie said confidently.

"Koffing, get ready to battle." The grunt said, tossing his Poke-ball into the air, releasing a Koffing.

"Koffing." It said.

"Totodile, use Water Gun!" Robbie said, pointing at Koffing. Totodile opened its mouth, releasing a strong stream of water at Koffing.

"Koffing, use Tackle." The grunt said, watching as his Koffing charged right through the stream of water toward Totodile, knocking the small Pokemon backward. Totodile hit the ground with a thug, rolling twice before stopping.

"Totodile, are you okay?" Robbie asked, watching Totodile slowly get up.

"Heh, weak." The grunt said.

"You don't know what you're talking about. Totodile, use Bite!" Robbie shouted. Totodile pushed forward, opening up its mouth, revealing its white teeth. Totodile chomped down onto Koffing's skin, failing to do any more than tickle the Pokemon.

"Koffing, use Posion Gas straight into Totodile's mouth." The grunt said, noticing that Totodile's mouth was over one of the craters on Koffing.

"Koffing." It said with its monotone voice, the crater below Totodile's mouth releasing a green gas. Totodile's health was immediately wiped out from the attack, its eyes becoming black swirls as it left go of Koffing, dropping to the ground.

"Totodile!" Robbie said, running up to check Totodile.

"Koffing, wipe out the rest of these no class losers." The grunt said. "Use Smog."

Koffing rose high into the air before opening its mouth, releasing a puffy green gas that filled up the area around the Pokemon Center.

"Team Rocket, move the Route 30!"

Inside the gas cloud, Robbie was coughing hysterically, unable to get any oxygen in there.

"Pidgeotto, I need your help." Robbie said, taking the only other Poke-ball on his belt off and tossing it into the air. The Poke-ball released a bird Pokemon that was similar to Pidgey only it was larger with longer tail feathers along with along a set of feathers extending from the back of its head.

"Pidgeot!" It said to Robbie who was still going through a coughing fit.

"Use Gust to blow away this Smog." Robbie said in between coughs. Pidgeotto looked up and took off into the air, getting above the cloud where it began to flap its wings, whipping up a small twister that blew away the Smog cloud, revealing the trainers that were still where they were but none of the Team Rocket grunts and their Pokemon were still there.

"Where'd they go?" Someone asked out loud.

"Doesn't matter, they're gone."

"Come on, we have to start putting out the fires." Robbie said, taking out his potion to heal Totodile. Once Totodile was ready to go, Robbie led off a group of trainers with Water type Pokemon to fight against the fire.

* * *

><p>Blake's luck had run out. Cyndaquil couldn't go any farther battling and he had lost track of both the grunts he had been chasing. He would've heal Cyndaquil with the Potion he had earlier today but he was more concerned with finding Alan that he left the boy with his Potion and now her really needed it.<p>

"Finally, the Pokemon Center." Blake said to himself, running into the building that looked like a twister had hit it. "Hello."

"Are you part of Team Rocket?" A feminine voice asked from behind the counter.

"No." Blake replied.

"Oh, finally." A woman with pink hair that were in large loops around her ears popped up from behind the counter wearing a white nurse's uniform. "I thought they'd never leave. I'm Nurse Joy, how can I help you?"

"Can you heal my Pokemon?" Blake asked.

"I'm sorry, but I can't." She replied getting a confused expression.

"Why not?"

"Team Rocket destroyed the Restoration Machine so all I can give you is a Potion." She explained, looking at the horribly beaten machine behind her. "Chansey, bring out a few Potions."

A large pink, egg shaped Pokemon came walking out corridor with a large smile on its face and a tray on hand where a set of Potions were waiting for use.

"That'll do. Thank you." Blake said, accepting the spray bottle filled with a purple liquid. Blake released both Cyndaquil and Larvitar from their Poke-ball, both of them falling to the ground as soon as their bodies took shape.

Blake sat down next to his partners, spraying both of them twice with the Potion which restored their health.

"Cyndaquil." It said, the fire on its back returning.

"Larvitar." It remarked, feeling its strength return as well.

"Sorry guys. I was focused on finding Alan and I didn't do as well during the battles." Blake said to the two of them. Cyndaquil was a bit confused on what Blake was talking about while Larvitar's expression darkened.

"Larvitar, Lar." It shouted at Blake angrily.

"Yes, I'm sorry Larvitar, so now we can all focus on the Battle Circuit for now." Blake said, placing his hand on Larvitar's head. "Come on, Route 30 is long. It should take us two days to get to Violet City if we're fast."

* * *

><p><strong>And that brings this chapter to a close. Team Rocket's first appearance ends with them retreating after collecting the Miracle Seed which appears to be apart of someone's plan.<strong>

**Please Review! R & R**


	4. Aftermath

Chapter 4

A distraught Mari stood beside her two Pokemon as they stared into their damaged flower shop. The counter was broken, pieces of glass were scattered about the floor and flower pots had been knocked over, spilling dirt all over the floor.

"Mom?" Mari called out, silently praying that nothing had happened to her mother during he attack.

"Mari? Is that you?" A voice asked from the hallway leading into the back of the store, causing Mari to release a sigh of relief.

"Mom, you're alright." Mari said, rushing into the hallway where she found her mother who was seated on the floor. "They came here to right?"

"Yes. There were two of them. The tore apart the store before finding the Miracle Seed." Her mother explain with a nod as Mari sat down beside her.

"Oh no, we were just going to ship that to Goldenrod City to pay off the rest of the loan for the shop." Mari exclaimed.

"I know, but we'll pull through. This could have been a lot worse if that boy hadn't shown off. He somehow chased them off before leaving himself." Mari's mother sighed heavily. "I don't know how this town is going to make it out of this one."

"What do you mean?" Mari asked in confusion.

"I never told you this Mari because we were getting by with out payments, but now it seems like we have no choice but to leave."

"Leave Cherrygrove City? Why?"

"We owe the Committee a lot of money. And if we fall any further into debt they'll force us out and replace the city with a seaport and Battle Dome." She explained sadly.

"What?" Mari shouted. "How could they do that?"

"Unlike most cities in Johto, we didn't want a Battle Dome, we have to pay to stop the Committee from building. The Town Charter is the agreement we have with the Committee saying that prevents them from building a Battle Dome here as long as we keep up with out payments." She continued. "But now the town is in shambles and rebuilding it could take months, maybe longer. How are were going to pay for the repairs and the Committee?"

Mari remained silent for a moment, soaking all of this in.

"What if we pay them off?" Mari asked suddenly.

"How, none of us can earn money with all our businesses burned to the ground."

"What if I send back all the money I win the Battle Circuit to help with the repairs and the debt?" Mari offered.

"That's a good idea sweetie." Her mother said, pulling her into a hug while whispering a thanks into her ear. "But the towns debt is huge. "That kind of money won't be much help at the moment."

"So then what are we going to do?"

"We?" Her mother asked, separating from Mari to get a better look directly at her.

"Yeah, we. Us, the whole town. What are we going to do?"

"You're not staying here Mari. You've been cooped up in this town long enough, plus you've already entered the Battle Circuit. The best thing you can do right now is generate some money for the town." Her mother said. "I want you be out there exploring the world while your young. "You've been here long enough telling everyone you'd explore the world, now its time for you to do that."

"But mom-" Mari began.

"Mari, please!" Her mother interjected, sounding quite desperate. "I don't want you getting involved with the Committee."

"I'm sorry mom." Mari said after a pause. "But I refuse to watch my home town get wiped off the map. I want to meet with the Committee when they come."

"No Mari, you're way to young to be challenging them."

"I'm not challenging them mom. I just want to talk with them and try to work out a plan with them."

* * *

><p>Blake quietly moved through the north side of Cherrygrove City, observing the damage done by Team Rocket. It wasn't pretty at all. If the wooden houses hadn't been burned to ashes, then the structure had been completely demolished. Many of the trainers that had joined in fight against Team Rocket were now moving about the town with Water type Pokemon, putting out the stray flames that were still burning.<p>

As he turned onto another street, Blake could hear the sobs of a woman which caught his attention. Spotting a couple watching a group of trainers put of the flames that had burned down what was probably there house, Blake approached them curiously.

"Everything was going smoothly. Why did Team Rocket pick now to attack us?" The wife shouted with a sob as she cried into her husbands shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find a place to live before the baby comes." The husband said, comforting his wife by rubbing her back as he embraced her.

"Excuse me, can't you just rebuild your house?" Blake asked, keeping a neutral expression as he gained their attention.

"I wish kid." The husband replied, continuing to comfort his wife.

"Its that damned Committee's fault!" The wife spat at Blake angrily.

"Easy." The husband said, holding her back. "It's not really our choice. We have a Charter with the Committee to stop them from building a Battle Dome, but we're way behind on out payments so we've fallen into the debt. It's been like that for years, and we were barely scraping by, but now that the town was burned down, it seems like our only option is to move or they'll force us out once word reaches the Committee."

Blake took a moment to think about it.

"What if you somehow paid them off?" Blake asked.

"That would never happen. But if it did, I'm pretty sure we would be able to keep the town."

"Is there anyway I can help?"

"The only thing we all can do right now is try to pay of the debt in any way possible."

"Will my winnings in the Battle Circuit help out all?" Blake asked.

"Even if it doesn't, we'll accept any help we can get." The husband said.

"Well then I'll give the money I win in the Battle Circuit to Cherrygrove City. It won't be much right now, but I'll keep winning and giving the cash to this town." Blake said, getting a small smile from the man.

"That's really kind of you." The husband said. "What's your name?"

"Name's Blake."

* * *

><p>Robbie sighed as he wiped the sweat of his forehead, looking around the street where he and six other trainers had put several houses that hadn't been completely burned to the ground. The town looked terrible in his opinion, practically every building was charred from the flames or just ashes on the ground.<p>

"Hah, job well done." Robbie mumbled, returning Totodile and Pidgeotto to their Poke-balls. "The entire town is put out."

"Ah, thank you so much trainers." One of the citizens said, approaching them. "Your efforts are appreciated by all of us."

"It's no trouble sir." One of the trainers responded. "Although I don't know what else we can do right now."

"Oh no, you've done enough already." He began. "I'm sure all of you have your own journey to continue. We can handle things from here."

"Are you sure?" Someone asked.

"There's no need to worry. Things should be fine here in a month." He replied with a false smile which was believable to the trainers and Robbie.

"Alright sir, we wish you luck in rebuilding your town." Robbie said to him.

"Good luck to all of you on your journey."

**4/11/0046/Late Afternoon**

**Route 30**

Route 30 was probably the thickest forest Blake had ever entered in his sixteen year life span. Unfortunately, the boy lacked a sense of direction, so the most he could depend on for a general direction to travel in was the map function on his Pokedex and the dirt pathway he had been following.

"Didn't we just pass that tree?" Blake asked Larvitar and Cyndaquil, pointing to the small part of the tree trunk where Blake had ripped off the bark to mark where he had been. Both of the Pokemon standing behind him shook there heads. They were just as lost as Blake was.

"I can help you out." A feminine voice called out from a nearby bush. A young woman stepped out from the bush that Blake instantly recognized as 'Carol from back in Cherrygrove City, the Team Rocket member who had trashed Mari's flower shop.

"You!" Blake hissed at her with a dark glare, motioning for Larvitar and Cyndaquil to get red. The small Fire type ignited the flames on its back while Larvitar went down on one knee to prepare a Rock Throw attack.

"Whoa, whoa." She said, putting up her hands in defense. "No need to sick your Pokemon on me."

"Why shouldn't I?" Blake asked. "Are you aware of many lives you ruined in that city?"

"I was just following orders kid." She replied. "I gotta make it look real if I'm going to stay undercover."

"Under...cover?"

"Please. Did you really think I was part of Team Rocket?" She asked, getting a curious nod from Blake. "Well I'm not."

As 'Carol' removed the black shirt she wore, revealing a dark red shirt underneath it, Blake called off Cyndaquil and Larvitar.

"Then who are you working for?" Blake asked.

"The Committee." She replied, getting an even darker glare from Blake.

"Are you aware of how many lives your still going to ruin?" Blake asked, Larvitar and Cyndaquil preparing their attacks once more.

"Sorry, but I'm not part of that department." She responded.

"So what? You should at least know that your affecting hundreds of people by forcing them out of Cherrygrove City." Blake said.

"Look kid, that's none of my business right now. The only thing I have to do right now is keep and eye on Team Rocket." She said, tossing her shirt to Blake who didn't bother to catch. Watching it land on the ground, 'Carol' gave Blake a weak glare. "Aww, you were supposed to catch it."

"I can't get caught with that." Blake said, turning away from her.

"Wait, aren't you going to help me out?" She asked.

"Help you out? Why would I do that?"

"I have a friend in Violet City who would want to meet a trainer that's as good as you." 'Carol' explained, collecting her shirt.

"That's not going to happen." Blake said, beginning to walk away. "I don't want anything to do with someone from Team Rocket or the Committee."

"Oh come on, please." She pleaded as Blake glanced back at her.

"Give me one good reason."

"Because your hopelessly lost. This path leads back to Cherrygrove City." 'Carol' said, watching Blake who hid his embarrassment quite well."

"I was heading back to Cherrygrove City to get some supplies." Blake replied in a deadpan.

"The Poke-Mart was burned down." 'Carol' said.

"How do you know?"

"I did it myself."

'Damn it!' Blake shouted mentally, turning around to 'Carol'. "Alright, what do you want?"

"I want you to meet my friend in Violet City." She said, pointing in the correct direction for Blake to move in.

"Fine." Blake muttered, beginning to move north, actually moving toward Violet City now. 'Great, now I'm stuck with someone else.'

**4/11/0046/Night**

**Kanto Region**

**Indigo Plateau**

"Why Cherrygrove City?" A feminine voice said. "What does that town hold?"

"I don't understand what Team Rocket is planning. None of there movements make any sense." A deep male voice said. "First they take over Lake Rage, and now they've attacked Cherrygrove City."

"Stanly, what about Shari, how is she doing?" Another male voice asked, looking at the dark skinned male who sat at the end of the table.

"Shari hasn't sent in a report in three days." He replied. "But I bet she will be sending something with the recent attack.

"Lake Rage was the only area they had taken over, so I believed their force was small. But it appears that they are far larger than we anticipated." The feminine voice noted. "They must be spread throughout Johto."

"Rae-rae, you're over thinking it." The deep voice cut in.

"Dustin, you're under thinking it as usual." The other male voice replied with a sigh.

"We need to do something about this. Team Rocket is becoming a bigger threat then we thought. Trainers all over this region are in danger now." Stanly said.

"We need action!" Dustin announced, rising from his seat. The whole room silent for a moment.

"You know what? For once, he's right." The remaining male voice said.

"Yeah, I agree with Randy and Dustin. Just tracking their movements isn't enough, we need to hit them back." Stanly said, nodding in agreement.

"Then what do we do?" The female asked.

"I'll hunt down one Team Rocket's major facilities and blow it up!" Dustin declared, hitting his chest with one of his large fists. He was tall man, with a huge bulky torso that could be seen through the tight black shirt he wore. Around his waist was a black belt that held up his gray sweat pants. Over all his clothing was a large black jacket that he always kept open. Covering his forehead was a black sash tied into a knot behind his head to keep his unruly black hair out his face.

"Alright Dustin, but don't go overboard." Stanly said to him, allowing the large man to leave.

"Of I go!" He shouted, exiting the room, his heavy foots steps fading as he walked down the hall.

"Stanly, you're really going to let him go by himself?" The feminine voice asked.

"For now I'll let him move on his own since the only definite location we are sure of is Lake Rage. If he finds anything I want you to back him up Randy." Stanly said, looking to the person sitting beside him who mumbled something under his breath.

"Fine." He said, rising from his seat. This guy possessed some spiky brown hair and an annoyed expression. He was kind of tall, 5'7" and he wore a loose gray t-shirt and baggy black cargo pants. Hanging loosely around his waist was a brown belt that held his Poke-balls and Potions, something Randy didn't enjoying wearing because of the weight of the Potions.

Strolling out of the room with his hands in his pockets, Randy attempted to whistle a short tune.

"And Grace, you and I will be going to Violet City and then down to Cherrygrove City." Stanly said, waiting for a reply from the girl sitting on the opposite end of the table. "Grace?"

At the other end of the table sat a short, cream skinned girl, with long black hair that had an ear bud in each of ears. Obviously she was trying to act like she was listening to the meeting, but in truth she was listening to one of her favorite songs.

"Grace!" Stanly shouted, trying to get her attention.

Grace's left eye was covered by the long bangs she had with a silver highlight, her one visible eye possessing a far away look. She wore a black, long sleeved shirt along with a black and silver pleated miniskirt over a pair of bike shorts.

She was no older than fifteen, but she was an S-Class trainer in the Battle Circuit, a legend in the Johto Region that was quickly working her way into the IBF.

"Grace!" Stanly shouted again after walking over to her and removing one of the earbuds from her ears.

"Oh, Stanly. What do you want?" She asked with a blank expression as he grabbed her by her forearm, dragging her along behind him.

Leaving the remaining female in the room by herself, she sighed loudly before spinning around in her seat to look at the map of Johto that was mounted on the wall.

"Just what are you planning Team Rocket?"


	5. Regional Problems

Chapter 5

**4/12/0046/Morning**

**Route 30**

Blake and 'Carol' walked along the thin dirt pathway, not a single wild Pokemon or human in sight.

"Why's it so empty here?" Blake asked out loud.

"Team Rocket probably scared off all the Pokemon and trainers while they were going back so I guess the Pokemon must returning right now." 'Carol' explained.

A nearby splash gained Cyndaquil and Larvitar's attention, both the small Pokemon leaving Blake and 'Carol', disappearing into the thick bushes surrounding the dirt road.

"Where are they going?" 'Carol' asked, half expecting an answer from Blake who didn't reply, following his Pokemon into the bushes. Eventually they found Larvitar and Cyndaquil hiding a thick bush, watching a group of five Pokemon that looked exactly the same chat in front of a small lake.

The Pokemon had a small blue body with a large red lips beneath the eyes. Covering its stomach was white circle with a black swirl. Its small body stood on two small feet and it possessed a large white tail, its body lacking a pair of arms and hands.

"A Poliwag, just was I was looking for." Blake noted, looking down at Cyndaquil and Larvitar before remembering that they had the type disadvantage. "Hmm, both of you are at a disadvantage here."

Larvitar was well aware of the type disadvantage, but Cyndaquil charged out the bushes, igniting the flames on its back. Four of the five Poliwags became frightened by Cyndaquil's actions and jumped back into the pond that was behind them.

The remaining Poliwag stood in Cyndaquil's path, waiting for it.

"Poliwag!" It shouted, beating its stomach with its tail making a small, drum like noise.

"Cyndaquil!" Blake shouted at the small Pokemon, joining it.

"Cynda!" It said back, focusing on Poliwag.

"Alright Cyndaquil, we'll give it a shot. Use Quick Attack." Blake ordered, pointing at Poliwag.

Cyndaquil shot forward, rushing toward Poliwag who side stepped Cyndaquil's frontal attack. Poliwag opened its small red lips, releasing a blast of water that hit Cyndaquil as it realized it had missed Poliwag, pushing Cyndaquil a small distance before it landed on the ground.

"Cyndaquil, are you okay?" Blake asked, running over Cyndaquil who getting up from the ground already, giving him a nod. "I want you to build up as much heat around yourself as you can."

"Cynda!" It shouted, the flames on its back growing like it had in Cherrygrove City, but this time, Blake could feel the heat radiating off its body.

"Woah." Blake exclaimed, stepping back from Cyndaquil. "Even more Cyndaquil!"

'I wonder what this is?' 'Carol' looked on curiously.

Poliwag opened its lips again, releasing a steady stream of water that flew toward Cyndaquil, ready to finish it off. The heat coming from Cyndaquil's body reached the maximum temperature about four inches beyond Cyndaquil's body, the air in that space becoming tinted red in a small dome around Cyndaquil. When the water came into the contact with the dome, the intense heat caused it to evaporate immediately, creating a mist around Cyndaquil.

"Poli?" The small Water type Pokemon said in confusion since it at lost sight of Cyndaquil in the mist.

"Alright, now use Quick Attack!" Blake shouted.

Cyndaquil burst out the mist, the dome of heat around beginning to fade as it rushed toward Poliwag. Cyndaquil smashed itself into Poliwag, the fading dome of heat inflicting a heavy burn on Poliwag while knocking the small blue Pokemon into the pond creating a splash of water.

When Poliwag resurfaced, its eyes were replaced with black swirls telling Blake this was his chance to catch it. Blake took one of the four Poke-balls off his belt and threw it at the floating water Pokemon, the front of the Poke-ball hitting Poliwag on the head, opening up as Poliwag became a shapeless red flash that jumped into the Poke-ball.

The Poke-ball flew back to Blake which he caught, the device shaking his hand a few times before a low hum came from the ball meaning Poliwag had been successfully captured.

"Nice Cyndaquil." Blake said, approaching at the Fire type Pokemon that was currently resting on its stomach, breathing heavily.

'Interesting. He said he only got that Cyndaquil a few days ago, but creating a move like that could only mean one thing.' 'Carol' said to herself mentally as she walked over to Blake, congratulating him on his successful capture of Poliwag. 'Golden Pair.'

Blake thanked her with a neutral expression, spraying Cyndaquil with a Potion to heal the damage done during the battle. Once Cyndaquil was on its feet again, Larvitar approached it, glaring at the Fire type who returned it without a second thought. Blake watched them with mild interest before Larvitar offered Cyndaquil a hand shake which it accepted before the two of them climbed back onto Blake's shoulders.

"Umm, is that normal?" 'Carol' asked, motioning toward the two Pokemon.

"Is what normal?" Blake asked in a deadpan, heading toward the pathway they had left. "Come on, let's keep moving."

"Blake, the pathway is this way!" 'Carol' called out since the boy was once again headed in the wrong direction.

**Cherrygrove City**

Mari stood behind her mother who was seated around a table where many of the important figures of Cherrygrove City sat as well.

"Face it, it's all over." The mayor began. "There's no way this debt can be paid off now. The Committee is already displeased with how are payments have been, and now it won't be a problem for them to walk into our town and clear us out. We're better off moving out the town."

"No!" Mari shouted, getting everyone's attention. "I was born and raised in this town. I just watched it burn to the ground and there's no way I'm going to leave it now!"

"My daughter Mari has offered to give all the money she earns in the Battle Circuit to the towns funds to help out with the debt." Mari's mother jumped in realizing her daughter's outburst wasn't the response anyone wanted.

"Why is she here?" The mayor asked.

"She followed me here sir. She loves this town like the rest of us, and she really doesn't want to see it disappear and become replaced by a Battle Dome." Mari's mother explained.

"I know what you want...Mari, was it?" The mayor said, unsure of her name at the moment. "All of us feel the same way, but there's no way for us to pay of the debt and keep the town. If we can't even rebuild it than the Committee has the right to take Town Charter and force us to move out."

"Town Charter?" Mari said in confusion.

"The kid doesn't even know that is?" One of the adults whispered to the person sitting next to them.

"Yes. A Town Charter gives us the ability to run the town by ourselves without having to check everything with the Committee first. It's only given to towns that refuse to build a Battle Dome but we have to pay to keep it, and we've fallen into a deep debt because of it and now we may have to give it up and move out the town." The mayor explained.

"What if we did manage to pay it off?" Mari asked.

"We keep the town. But all the money we make combined won't even put a dent in the debt not to mention we still have to find the money to rebuild the town." The mayor said.

"But we can't just give up the town." Mari pleaded.

"We're not. We've managed the keep the Town Charter for over ten years with the income this town had. We were fighting a losing battle and it seems like it has finally come to its end."

"Can't we try to negotiate something with them? Maybe just a few more months." Mari said, looking around the table, hoping someone would agree.

"How about we try that. What've we got to loose. Our homes are gone, we've all got no money and the Committee is on there way to kick us out." The Bankteller said out loud with a laugh.

"Heh, I guess you're right." The Poke-mart manager said. "Let's see what we can get before we go."

Mari was almost happy that they were at least trying, but she also felt hopeless since none of them actually thought any good would come from this final effort.

**4/13/0046/Noon**

**Entrance to Violet City**

Blake causally strolled past the city guard that was stationed at the entrance Violet City, his headphones covering his ears which resulted in him missing what the guard had said to him.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Blake asked, glaring at the man after he grabbed his arm, pulling him back causing Cyndaquil to slip off his head.

"Where do you think you're going?" The guard asked once Blake took his headphones off his ears.

"Where does it look like I'm going?" Blake asked in return.

"Who do think you're talking too kid? Trouble makers like you shouldn't be able to run around free with Pokemon. They all should be behind bars." The guard said, snapping his fingers.

"You're getting on my nerves." Blake growled, glaring at him. "Let me pass."

"Or what?" The guard said, towering over Blake.

"Cyndaquil." Was all Blake said since the guard had caused Cyndaquil to fall off his head. The Fire type Pokemon got back on its feet, igniting the flames on its back.

"Is that a threat?"

"I don't know, is it?" Blake asked back, striking a nerve.

"That's it kid, I'm charging you with insubordination to an authority figure!" The guard said, reaching out to grab Blake who jumped backward.

"It's people like you that annoy me the most. You're all dumba...!" 'Carol' clamped her hand down on Blake's mouth, preventing him from finishing his sentence.

"Sorry, my cousin here has a bit of a smart mouth." 'Carol' said, pulling Blake. "We're traveling to Violet City from Cherrygrove."

"License or some form of ID." The guard said, raising his hand.

"Sure." 'Carol' said, taking out her Battle Circuit License while Blake muttered something under his breath before taking out his Pokedex.

The guard checked their photos before returning their items.

"Everything seems to be in order." He said, stepping out of their path. "Sorry about earlier, but the attack on Cherrygrove City has everyone tightening up the security."

"It's no problem." 'Carol' said with a pleasant smile as she walked past the guard, dragging Blake along with her followed by Cyndaquil. "Have a nice day."

'Carol' waved at the guard, letting go of Blake.

"What do you think you're doing? Everyone's on edge about Team Rocket, and when you do stuff like that, you'll get yourself in trouble." 'Carol' whispered to Blake.

"Like you're one to talk." Blake responded, taking the lead. "I have work to do."

"Not so fast. First you have to meet up with my friend." 'Carol' called out.

"That's not going to happen." Blake replied.

"You owe me one. If it wasn't for me, you'd be getting dragged downtown for questioning right now." 'Carol' said, keeping up with Blake's pace.

"And?"

"Well I guess I could always go back to the guard and tell him to take you away."

"Bluff." Blake replied, getting a smirk from 'Carol' who took a deep breath of air.

"Hey officer-ahh!" 'Carol' yelped in pain as Blake stomped his heel down on her foot to shut her up.

"Fine." Blake muttered, getting a chuckle from 'Carol'.

**Violet City**

The city was kind of big on Johto standards with multiple landmarks for the Johto Region like the famed Sprout Tower that survived through the Dark Days. Violet City is also the host to the Pokemon Academy and a Battle Dome. The town was once traditional but it was completely destroyed during the Dark Days and then rebuild into a more urban city with tall buildings.

At the edge of the northern side of the city was the famous Sprout Tower. The tower was a rarity, visited by travelers and trainers from across the world to see the moving beam that was the sole support piece for the entire tower. It was made up of four floors, the first being devoted to the public while the other three were for the Monks who once lived there in the Old Days and passed down their traditions through the Dark Days that are still upheld today.

Blake and 'Carol' approached the tall tower, entering through the large wooden doors to see a huge open room that was scarce on people. At the center of the room of the was a tall wooden beam that went straight form the floor to the ceiling through a fenced of area, swaying back and forth at a very slow tempo, creaking as it moved.

"Ah, there he is." 'Carol' said, looking at the tall dark skinned male that was wearing a red button up dress shirt and a pair of black jeans. "Stanly!"

Stanly looked around the room for a moment before spotting 'Carol' at the entrance. He motioned for her to come over which she did, dragging Blake along with her.

"I was wondering if I'd find you Shari." He said, using her actual name and not the name she was given to go under cover within Team Rocket. "Do you have any news?"

"No 'Hi Shari, how are you doing?' or 'How've you been Shari since you've been surrounded by criminals?'" Shari said in annoyance since Stanly had skipped the formalities as usual.

"Oh I'm sorry, good afternoon Miss Shari, how are you doing on this fine day?" Stanly asked.

"Don't get me started. Team Rocket thugs are total losers. My partner is a nuisance. And I've been dragging this brat around with me." Shari explained, motioning to Blake who was standing behind her, his headphones covering his ears while Cyndaquil sat on his head.

"Ugh, tell me about it." Stanly said, rolling his eyes while stepping to the right, revealing Grace who stood behind him, her ear buds in her ears as well.

"Grace is with you?" Shari asked, glancing at the silent girl who couldn't hear her.

"Yeah. I brought her along just to get her out of Indigo Plateau." Stanly said. "Anyway, who's that?"

"This is Blake. I met him in Cherrygrove City during the attack. He managed to beat my Slugma and my partners Ekans and Raticate." Shari explained.

"Do you think he'll be useful?" Stanly asked.

"On Route 30, he battled a Poliwag and created a variation of Flame Wheel on the spot with his Cyndaquil. I believe their a Golden Pair."

"Oh really?"

"I think he might be helpful for going undercover inside Team Rocket. But I brought him here because I think we should test him before we try anything."

"A battle with the Grand Elder. I can arrange for that." Stanly said, thinking about the idea. "How long has he been a trainer?"

"He came from New Bark Town with some newish Pokemon so just a few days ago.

"Hmm, the Grand Elder might be a bit much for him."

"Let him battle the Grand Elder, win or lose it's just a test."

"Alright. I'll ask him." Stanly said. "So Shari, any news?"

"Yes, big news." Shari replied. "Team Rocket is hatching a plan but I can't get in any deeper to learn more. The only think I can say right now is that Team Rocket is planning another attack on Azalea Town in a few weeks."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious. I don't know what their target is, but I wasn't put on the roster for that mission so I probably won't find anything else."

"Alright then, I'll leave this one to Grace...and if he's any good, I'll add in Blake."

"Hang on, there's more. In Goldenrod City, the Team Rocket Recruitment Center is located in that city."

"What good will that do?"

"Well I was hoping you'd give me an extra set of eyes inside Team Rocket. They're to big for me to keep track of everything by myself." Shari explained.

"Okay Shari. I'll send Grace after she goes to Azalea Town. Shari, send alerts to Committee members in Azalea Town to get ready."

"Just the Committee members? Why not the whole town?"

"I don't want a frenzy across the region. Everyone wants to hurt Team Rocket and I don't want thousands of trainers packed into one place waiting for them. That would give away the fact that someone is on the inside." Stanly said with a wink.

"Right, only the Committee members."

"Anything else Shari?"

"Nope. I have to get on the move and report back to Goldenrod City. See ya." She said, leaving the group, giving Stanly a quick wave.

"Alright Blake, now it's your turn."

**Route 30**

"Totodile, use Water Gun!" Robbie shouted, pointing at the Pidgey that was perched on a tree branch above them.

Totodile opened its mouth, releasing a stream of water that the Pidgey noticed and avoided before it was hit, taking flight. Pidgey flapped its wings, hovering in the air above Totodile and Robbie, looking down at them before dive bombed Totodile.

Totodile sidestepped to the right, avoiding Pidgey's sudden attack, but just before Pidgey hit the ground, it spread its wings, halting its decent. From that position, Pidgey used Quick Attack, rushing after Totodile, ramming itself into Totodile.

"Totodile, hold your ground." Robbie said, watching as Totodile placed both its hands on Pidgey's wings, holding the spot it was standing in. "Now, Bite!"

Totodile opened up its mouth, revealing full set of teeth. Totodile chomped down on Pidgey, wiping out all of its health with that one attack.

"Nice Totodile." Robbie said, as Totodile dropped Pidgey, giving him a thumbs up.

Robbie and Totodile had been walking along the Route for two days now, but he had been battling as many wild Pokemon as he could since he was preparing for his Battle Circuit debut.

"First comes my debut, then I'll crush Blake at the Rookie Kings, and then straight to the Johto Title." Robbie shouted, pointing up at the sky.

**Sprout Tower**

Blake stood inside the large room on the top floor of Sprout Tower, looking across the room at the aged, bald headed man was observing him quietly. He was clad only in a large brown robe with a white belt around his waist which set him apart from the rest of the Monks that lived in Sprout Tower who wore a black belt.

"Ah, so you're the person Stanly told me about." The Elder said, looking at Blake, placing his left hand on his long gray beard.

"Skip the greetings, let's battle." Blake said to him, getting a bright smile from the Elder.

"So much excitement the young ones have. Noctowl, let's go." The Elder said, pulling out a Poke-ball out of his right sleeve, chucking it into the air.

The Poke-ball released a brown Owl Pokemon. Blake threw a Poke-ball into the air as well, releasing Larvitar from its Poke-ball. The small green Pokemon yawned, stretching a bit before observing Noctowl.

'Rock Throw has been sealed off with the location, but I think we can pull this off.' Blake noted. "Larvitar, start off with Bite."

"Noctowl, dodge it." The Elder said, watching his Pokemon take flight. Larvitar missed Noctowl by a long shot since it got into the air long before it even got close to the Owl Pokemon.

"Noctowl, use Confusion." The Elder ordered, the uni-brow like object above its eyes turning a bright blue, a light blue outline forming around Larvitar. "Now use Wing Attack."

Larvitar was lifted into the air by an unknown force as Noctowl began to fly toward it, spreading out its wings. Blake looked around any moves he could make but none of those plans would result in Larvitar getting away safely.

"Use Bite once the Wing Attack connects Larvitar." Blake said. Noctowl slammed its right wing into Larvitar's stomach, the Flying Type attack doing a little damage, but Larvitar hung onto Noctowl's wing and opened its mouth, revealing a pair of white fangs that had grown into its mouth for this attack.

Larvitar sunk its teeth into Noctowl's wing, disabling its appendage. Noctowl began to descend to the ground at an uncontrollable speed since it could no longer maintain the low altitude it was previously flying at. Noctowl crashed into the ground, Larvitar landing on the ground with a soft thud since Noctowl cushioned its fall.

'Hmm, a fast thinker.' The Elder said to himself, watching as Larvitar observed Noctowl who hadn't moved yet. "Noctowl, Confusion."

Larvitar was surprised to see another blue outline form around it again. Once again, Larvitar was lifted into the air as Noctowl rose to its feet, unable to fly now, the unibrow above its eyes completely blue like earlier.

Larvitar was sent spiraling to the floor, crashing with a thud that created few small cracks in the floor.

'Grr, Larvitar's paralyzed like that.' Blake said to himself, watching as Larvitar was lifted into the air again before it was sent to the floor again, widening the cracks in the floor. 'I was hoping to get some more practice with this move first but I guess we need it now.'

Larvitar was lifted into the air again and slammed into the floor.

"That's enough Noctowl, I believe that's enough." The Elder said, the blue outline disappearing from around Larvitar.

"Alright Larvitar, Dark Pulse." Blake said quickly, Larvitar returning to its feet in an instant.

Larvitar put its small hands together, a black halo forming around the spot where its hands were touching. Around the black aura, a purple outline formed meaning the attack was ready, but the black aura remained calm which wasn't how it was supposed to be.

'Darn, we still haven't gotten it down.' Blake mumbled to himself as Larvitar separated its hands, the black aura staying with its right hand. "Go Larvitar."

"Noctowl, Confusion!" The Elder shouted quickly, releasing the attack would finish off Noctowl if it hit.

Larvitar chucked the aura at Noctowl, but as it neared Noctowl, the purple aura was replaced by a blue one, the attack stopping a few inches in front of Noctowl.

"Send it back." The Elder said, surprising Blake.

"Larvitar, dodge it." Blake said, Larvitar barely managing to avoid the attack, but Noctowl raised its left wing, the Dark Pulse stopping in mid air. "Larvitar, run toward Noctowl now."

Noctowl folded down its left wing, the Dark Pulse rushing toward Larvitar from behind.

"Now jump." Blake said, hoping Noctowl and the Elder wouldn't catch on quick enough. Larvitar jumped over Noctowl, landing behind it, the Dark Pulse crashing into Noctowl just as the Elder realized what was happening. "Dark Pulse again."

Noctowl was stunned from the hit, frozen in place while Elder gave it a new command that went unheard by Noctowl. Larvitar charged up another Dark Pulse and smashed it into Noctowl's back, wiping out the rest of its health.

Noctowl dropped to the floor, its eyes replaced with black swirls.

"Excellent young one!" The Elder said, returning Noctowl to its Poke-ball.

* * *

><p><strong>Please Review.<strong>

**And just for anyone who was wondering, when I addressed Shari as 'Carol', that's the name she uses as a member of Team Rocket, but her actual name is Shari. In chapter 3 & 4 since Blake didn't know her actual name, I continued to call her Carol. But for now she's be known as Shari unless she's being spoken to by someone in Team Rocket.**

**Much thanks to _Omega the Omniscient_ for pointing that out to me.**


	6. Battle Circuit Debut

Chapter 6

**Sprout Tower**

"So what do you think of him Grace?" Stanly asked, looking at the younger girl who just finished watching Blake's battle.

"He's pretty good." She replied.

"That's all you have to say?" Stanly asked.

"No. Not just that." She continued. "He definitely strong. Stronger than any above average trainer."

"Good, that's just what we need right now. Grace, you're going to travel with Blake to Goldenrod City and enlist in Team Rocket." Stanly said, getting a dull look in return from the girl.

"What?" She said, raising an eyebrow.

"Shari told me that Goldenrod City is the location of the Team Rocket recruitment center and she also told me that she needs some help searching Team Rocket because they're much bigger than we initially thought." Stanly explained, watching Grace's cheeks redden slightly which gained his interest. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong." She replied quietly, looking away from Stanly while pushing her index fingers together. 'Me, alone with a boy?'

"Good, so there's no problem." Stanly said, clapping his hands together.

Blake entered the room from the staircase on the far side of the room, Larvitar resting on his shoulder. Scanning the room quickly, Blake found Stanly and Grace and approached them.

Watching Stanly congratulate Blake on his victory, Grace silently studied Blake as Stanly handed him a Poke-ball. Accepting the Poke-ball with a skeptical look, Blake released the Pokemon inside, finding a small white creature with a green head and two red horns protruding from the front and back of its head.

"Ralts." It said, looking up at Blake.

Larvitar stepped toward it, looking at it darkly which was returned with a blank expression from Ralts. Blake opened up his Pokedex, taking a picture of Ralts so the Podedex could bring up the data on Ralts.

"A Ralts." Blake said, closing his Pokedex. "Why'd you give this to me?"

"Do you like it?" Stanly asked in return as Blake returned Ralts to its Poke-ball.

"I want to know why you gave it to me." Blake repeated for him. Stanly sighed before stepping closer to Blake.

"Consider it a bribe to do a favor for me." Stanly said in a whisper, nudging Blake with his elbow.

"Do a favor for you. Like what?"

"Just a quick job for the Committee."

"What's in it for me?"

"The hell kid, I just gave you a Ralts." Stanly pointed out.

"And it's going to take more than that if you expect me to work for the Committee." Blake snapped back, watching Stanly grit his teeth before taking a moment to think about.

"Alright, whatever you want along as its within my power."

"Sell me the Charter to Cherrygrove City." Blake said, getting a surprised look from Stanly.

"What? W-Why?" Stanly asked in confusion.

"I just came from Cherrygrove City, and I heard that the Committee was going to force everyone because they can't afford the Charter." Blake explained. "I want the Charter to prevent you guys from relocating all those people."

Stanly remained silent. Why should he give the rights to a town over to a sixteen year old boy?

'It's not like it matters. We don't need Cherrygrove City, just the money they owe us.' Stanly reasoned with himself mentally. "Fine, but I'll only give it to you after you start your job in Goldenrod City. Cherrygrove City owes us a lot of money, but as long as you don't want them to move, we can't move them."

"Good, it's a deal." Blake said with a smirk. "But I can't go yet. I still have my Battle Circuit debut in the Violet City Dome on the 22nd."

"We don't have the kind of time." Stanly said, looking up in thought.

**4/13/0046/Night**

**Violet City Battle Dome**

Blake alone in the waiting room of the Battle Dome of Violet City, looking up at the monitor that was showing the third match of the night. Larvitar, Cyndaquil, Poliwag and Ralts had all been healed up and ready for his debut match, even though it was just a one on one battle for R-Class trainers.

The Battle Circuit is an event that's televised throughout Johto every night. With a total of seven Battle Domes in the region, there was one for every night where trainers in each city were sign up for matches to improve their records and gain a good sum of money if they claimed victory in their match.

Luckily, when Stanly had talked with Nurse Joy about moving up Blake's match, she managed to squeeze Blake into tonight's schedule.

"Match number four. Blue box, Blake!" Nurse Joy yelled from the entrance of the room. Blake waved to her as he moved toward her. Following her out into the hall, Nurse Joy began to lead him through a series of corridors.

"So tonight is your debut?" She asked, receiving a nod from Blake. "Have you ever thrown a Clash before?"

"A Clash?" Blake repeated.

"A Clash is performed during the time between the trainers throwing their Poke-balls onto the field and the Pokemon being released for battle. It only happens at the beginning of the battle, and rarely during a battle when there's a double knock out." She explained. "Basically, when you throw your Poke-ball, you and your opponents Poke-ball meet in a clash that can cause damage to the Pokemon you're using."

"So I can cause damage before the battle even starts?" Blake asked, raising one eyebrow to show his surprise.

"Exactly. There are different types of Clashes and different variations that trainers create themselves, but you won't find anyone like that at your level." Nurse Joy said as they turned into another corridor with an open end that led into the Stadium. The volume of the crowd was beginning to drown out her voice. "Time to battle!"

Blake gave her nod before continuing out into to the battlefield that was filled with over four thousand Battle Circuit fans from Violet City and the surrounding area.

"Whoa..." Blake exclaimed as he looked around at the large oval of stands that was packed with shouting people. In fact, it was even more crowded than usual because of tonight's main event. A Title Match.

The cheering continued as Blake stepped into the blue box, observing the large, rocky battle field before noticing the male trainer in the red box who held a Poke-ball, ready and waiting to begin.

"And now we'll begin the fourth match of the night!" The announcer shouted from his usual box located in the stands. "In the red box, we have Galen, and R-Class trainer with a record of four matches, three wins and one loss."

Galen waved to the crowd as some of the shouted his name.

"And in the red box, we have Blake who's having his debut tonight so treat him well!" The announcer continued.

"Give a good battle rookie!" The hollered at him.

Blake didn't look at the crowd, he selected the Pokemon he would be using and waited.

"Alright trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted as he raised both his flags upward, signaling the start of the Clash.

Blake and Galen made eye contact and gave each other a nod before pitching their Poke-balls onto the field. Instead of releasing their Pokemon, both Poke-balls burst forward, hitting each other which released a small blast of sparks. Both bounced backward, releasing the Pokemon inside before returning to their trainer.

A fluffy white sheep Pokemon appeared on the field while Blake had chosen Cyndaquil to battle with. Taking note of the small amount of bruises on both Pokemon, Blake concluded that the Clash was effective, and it would prove to be quite useful later on.

Taking out his Pokedex, Blake took a snapshot of the sheep Pokemon. The handheld device identified it as a Mareep.

"Battle begin!" The red shouted, lowering his flags to officially start the match.

"Mareep, use Thundershock!" Galen shouted. The two cones on the side Mareep's head began to build up electricity.

"Mareep!" It said as a yellow halo enveloped its body. From that halo, a small line jumped out, bouncing up and down from the ground in an arc fashion as it traveled toward Cyndaquil.

"Cyndaquil, dodge it and use Ember!" Blake said, watching it ignite the flames on its back before jumping to its left to escape the path of the electricity, but as Cyndaquil move, the electricity followed, hitting Cyndaquil.

"Cynda!" The small Pokemon cried out as it was enveloped in a yellow halo similar to Mareep's. Cyndaquil dropped to the ground with a grunt.

"Cyndaquil, get it with Ember!" Blake said, watching Cyndaquil remain on the ground but simply look up at the sheep Pokemon. Opening its mouth, the small Fire type released a small blast of fire toward Mareep.

"Mareep, dodge it and then follow up with Thundershock!" Galen shouted. Mareep jumped to its left, avoid the flames while firing a second bolt of electricity at Cyndaquil.

"Dodge it using Quick Attack." Blake ordered, watching Cyndaquil jump to its feet before racing forward, leaving a white streak behind it as it moved. Easily evading the Thundershock attack, Cyndaquil attacked Mareep from its right side, sending it tumbling across the field. "Now get it with Ember!"

"Cynda-quil!" It shouted, releasing another blast of flames that engulfed Mareep as it came to a stop, the flames burning for a few moments as Mareep rested on the ground.

"Mareep, shake off those flames." Galen said to his partner who rose up, shaking its body to rid itself of the flames, revealing its wool that was now black. "Now use Charge."

Mareep snorted as it stamped his front feet, dozens of small yellow orbs forming around it. All of these orbs then proceed to fly into Mareep, the cones on its head beginning to spark, holding a large amount of electricity with in them.

"Cyndaquil, get it with Ember!" Blake shouted, aiming to hit Mareep while it was wide open.

Firing another burst of fire at Mareep, the sheep Pokemon became engulfed in flames a second time, but this time it appeared that the flames were having no effect on it.

'Hmm, I guess we need some more power.' Blake said to himself. "Cyndaquil, start building up head around yourself!"

"Cynda!" It shouted as it stood up on its hind legs, the flames on its back becoming large as a dome of red heat formed around it.

"Thundershock!" Galen commanded. Mareep became surrounded in another yellow halo, this one being much large than the previous ones and it blew all the flames off of its body. From this halo, several bolts of electricity were fired at Cyndaquil who was standing completely still.

The aerial Thundershocks rained down on Cyndaquil, but many of them were deflected away by the protective dome of heat around the Fire type, blocking out all of the attacks from Mareep.

"Now go in with Quick Attack!" Blake shouted.

Cyndaquil burst forward, racing toward Mareep with the dome of heat still around it, protecting it from the remaining Thundershock attacks as it made its frontal charge. The red dome collided with Mareep, sending the Electric type sliding across the dirt with a large burn on its left side.

Mareep remained completely still for a while, a signal for the ref to check on the Pokemon.

"Mareep is unable to battle. The blue box is the winner!" The ref shouted, raising the blue flag.

"Mareep!" Galen shouted, but his voice was drowned out by the crowd that had burst into cheers. The trainer from the red box ran onto the field to check on his part who had yet to move, finding that both its eyes had been replaced with black swirls.

Calling Cyndaquil back to him, Blake invited the Pokemon to climb onto his shoulder. Pumping his right had into the air, Cyndaquil doing the same, Blake made his way toward the exit of the Stadium.

"And it appears that a hotshot rookie as appeared folks, keep and eye on this one!" The announcer shouted.

* * *

><p>"And now, tonight's main event!" The announcer shouted, the crowds volume increasing another level at the announcement that they would get to see the Johto Champion have a battle.<p>

Blake was initially planning to leave right after his match, but when Nurse Joy mentioned the different forms of Clashes that could be created, he was curious to see what higher class trainers had come up with. He had yet to see to anything note worthy, even the semi-final match was the same Clash he had thrown in his battle, but he was sure the Johto Champ had something to offer him.

"Ladies and germs, please welcome Meegan J, the Johto Champion of the Battle Circuit to the Violet City Battle Dome!" The announcement was met with even more cheers as the woman entered the Stadium. She was of decent height, with long, auburn colored hair that fell to her mid back. She wore a pair of blue jeans, with a black long sleeved shirt that was tucked into her jeans as well as a blue denim jacket over her shirt. Around her waist was a brown belt that held her Poke-balls on the side along with a Potion. Meegan J, Queen of Johto had just entered the Battle Dome.

Running to the red box, she wave to the crowd with a large smile, many of her fans chanting her name already.

"I love you Meegan!" Several people shouted together, waving the signs they had made and brought just for her match.

"Tonight, the Pokemon Battle Circuit presents Meegan J in her eighth Title defense, with a perfect record of 61-61-0, she plans to move onto the IBF if she wins tonight." The announcer explained to the crowd. "But her challenger is no push over. Richie, an A-Class trainer with a record of 56-51-5, plans to take the Title from the Champ. Can he do it?"

"This battle sounds awesome!" Blake heard one of the discussions between the fans seated in front of him.

"I know, I can't wait for it to start."

"Hey, do you think Meegan will...you know, win?"

"Of course. If she's planning to move up to the IBF she can't be seen losing to anyone in Johto."

"Trainers, are you ready?" The ref asked, getting a nod from Meegan and Richie.

'Alright, this is my challenge to the IBF. I have to win with only one Pokemon.' Meegan said to herself, selecting the Pokemon she was planning to use.

"Clash!" The red shouted, raising his flags which put the noise from the crowd to an end.

Meegan and Richie pitched the Poke-ball they had selected onto the field, Richie's appearing to be a basic throw that was used by most people, but Meegan's had suddenly burst forward, moving twice as fast as Richie's which resulted in the Clash taking place on Richie's side of the field. Blake's eyes widened at the speed her Poke-ball had moved at, speed that only great baseball pitchers could deliver.

"The Accel!" The announcer shouted when Richie's Poke-ball was blown away by Meegan's with a huge burst of sparks. Many in the crowd cheered for the signature Clash move that often used by Meegan, although she wasn't the creator of it.

"Let's do this Glacieon!" Meegan said to the cyan colored Pokemon that had appeared on the field.

"Gla!" It said in return before looking at its opponent.

"Furret, are you okay?" Richie called out to his Pokemon that was covered in bruises that were caused by the Clash.

"Fur." It replied weakly, struggling to remain standing on its hind legs.

"Battle begin." The ref lowered the flags.

"Glacieon, use Ice Beam." Meegan said to Glacieon who opened its mouth, a small, light blue orb forming in front its mouth.

"Furret, dodge using Quick Attack." Richie said, as the three separate lines extended from the light blue orb, rushing toward Furret in a zigzag pattern.

Furret sped up, avoiding the beam, but Glacieon wasn't aiming for Furret, but the ground near Furret. When the Ice Beam hit the ground, the ground froze instantly, spreading outwards in all directions. Even though Furret was trying to move away using Quick Attack, the expanding ice field caught up with it, stopping its feet from moving.

"Glacieon, wrap this up with Quick Attack!" Meegan shouted.

"Gla!" It shouted, rushing toward Furret who was stuck where it was standing. Furret was sent flying off the field, crashing into the wall of the battle field, black swirls located on its face where its eyes should be.

"Furret is unable to battle." The ref said. "Match continue!"

The crowd burst into cheers at Meegan's quick victory.

'Alright, two more to go.' Meegan said inwardly, taking a deep breath.

"Furret, return." Richie said, returning Furret to its Poke-ball before swapping that one for another one on his belt. "Charmeleon, lets win this."

Richie released his second Pokemon for this battle. The Fire Lizard Pokemon that stood on its hind legs, the end of its tail possessed a flame that never went out.

"Richie takes the type advantage this time." The announcer noted. "How will Meegan cope with this?"

"Charmeleon, use Flame Thrower." Richie shouted. Charmeleon opened its mouth, breathing out a stream of flames at Glacieon who was weak to Fire type attacks.

"Glacieon, dodge with Quick Attack and then attack with Iron Tail." Meegan said as Glacieon took off, taking the speed advantage in the battle. Charmeleon seemed to gasp in surprise when Glacieon began to race around the field, following no particular pattern before it suddenly attack Charmeleon from the side, sending the Fire type stumbling backward.

Both Richie and Charmeleon seemed confused as Glacieon's onslaught continued, beating away at the Fire type who appear to be defenseless.

'I've seen enough.' Blake said. Even though the battle was only about half over, Blake could tell Meegan's quick combination had stripped Richie of his moral, leaving her with the job of finishing off his remaining Pokemon.

* * *

><p>Wandering around the building for a while, Blake eventually found Grace who was waiting for him in the lobby by herself with a notebook on her lap and her earbuds in her ears. Approaching her, the girl looked up at him when the shadow he cast covered her reading light.<p>

"Oh, Blake. Good job tonight." She said, closing her notebook.

"Thanks. Are you ready to go?"

"In the middle of the night?"

"...I suppose you're right, we'll stay at the Pokemon Center for the night." Blake said before the crowd roared which was the signal that the Title match had end.

"And Meegan J continues her perfect record, charging head strong toward the IBF. Thank you for coming tonight, and get home safely." The announcer said, his voice traveling throughout the building through the intercom.

'Meegan J. It's good to see that you'll be joining me in the IBF.' Grace said, looking back at the lobby of the Battle Dome that she and Blake had just left. 'I hope we battle sometime soon.'

**4/14/0046/Morning**

**Cherrygrove City**

Mari, as well as most of the major figures of Cherrygrove City had gathered in the town hall along with the Stanly the Committee member. The group was seated around a large table, Stanly being seated at the end with all eyes on him.

"I bet he came with an army that's waiting on Route 29 to force us out." The Poke-mart manager whispered to Mari's mother who was seated beside him.

"No. I came alone to discuss what's going to happen here." Stanly said, interlocking his fingers while placing his elbows on the table.

"You're going to force us out, aren't you?" The mayor asked, sounding disheartened, although he was doing his best to cover that up.

"On the contrary. I don't have the right to make you leave this town now." Stanly said, surprising everyone in the room.

"What do you mean?" Mari's mother asked skeptically.

"As you all know, Team Rocket is a growing threat in the Johto Region, and right now the Committee is doing its best to handle the situation with them. A trainer I was trying to recruit refused at first, telling me that he'd only work with us if I gave him the Charter to Cherrygrove City." Stanly explained.

"So who is in possession of the Charter now?" The mayor asked.

"I highly doubt you'll ever meet him, but you will see him, you just won't know its him because you never met him." Stanly replied. "But if you do know him, then you'll know its him...which kinda makes what I just said pointless."

"What's his name?" Mari's mother called out, becoming irritated with Stanly's drawn out explanation.

"Sorry, I can't disclose that information now that he's working with the Committee." Stanly replied.

"Wait, so if you're not here to move us out, then why did you come?" Mari asked.

"While we can't force you leave now, your debt to the Committee is still exists, and either you get back to paying off the debt, or we'll take the Charter back from the trainer who has it, or move you without telling him." Stanly explained.

"We're doing our best but this town doesn't make enough money to make all the payments not to mention we have to pay for the repairs to our town now." The Poke-mart manager said.

"Well I'm sorry but that's how it works." Stanly replied in a deadpan.

"I'll be entering the Battle Circuit soon and once I start making money I'll start helping out with the debt." Mari said to Stanly.

"You're just starting? To even think about paying of this debt would take a least one year's salary of an IBF Champion or SSS-Class trainer." Stanly said, glancing at Mari. "I'll give you all two years. If you can manage to pay off half the debt or more, the Committee will give you more time to pay it off completely. But if you fail to do this, they I'll be forced to move you out."

"No way." Mari said in disbelief. "We have more time. We have more time!"

Mari scrambled over to the window and opened it, sticking her head out to make sure she was visible to the townspeople who were waiting for an answer outside the building where the meeting was being conducted.

"We have more time!" She cried happily. "Someone bought the Charter so they can't move us out!"

The entire town burst into cheers.

"You're really giving us more time?" The mayor asked Stanly one final time as he rose from his seat.

"Yep. So good luck to all of you." Stanly said, exiting the room. Once he was outside, Stanly removed one of the Poke-ball's from his belt, giving it a toss to release a large Bird Pokemon that matched Stanly in height.

"Pideot!" It said to Stanly.

"Alright Pidgeot, to Indigo Plateau." He said, climbing onto its back. Pidgeot spread its wings, taking flight. The two flew off, leaving the parading town. 'It's a shame, but it'd be impossible to pay off a debt like that in two years. But right now the Committee just needs the extra money to finance a few operations against Team Rocket.'

* * *

><p><strong>Blake makes his debut in the Battle Circuit with his first win, also getting a peek at the strength of the strongest trainer in Johto. Please Review.<strong>


	7. The Journey Continues

Chapter 7

**4/14/0046/Noon**

**Route 32**

Blake and Grace walked along a dirt pathway on a slight decline, on route to Azalea Town which would take a good week's worth of traveling with the distance they had to cover. The quiet duo discovered that they had similar tastes through a few conversations, Grace being the quieter of the two which made it seem as though Blake was the talkative one.

Both them currently had their headphones on, blasting music in their ears when they were confronted by a familiar face.

"Hey you!" A voice shouted, jumping out from the bushes into Blake and Grace's path. The two of them came to a halt, removing their headphones with a mental groan

"What?" Blake said.

"Do you remember me?" The boy asked, pointing to himself with his thumb.

"Nope." Blake replied, hanging his headphones around his neck.

"It's me, Galen. We had a match in the Battle Dome last night. Remember?" He continued, reminding Blake about their battle the night before.

"Oh...yeah. What do you want?"

"Let's battle." He said, removing one the two Poke-balls on the belt around his waist.

"You already lost, why do you want to battle me again?" Blake asked, raising one eyebrow while keeping a neutral expression.

"You beat me before this happened." He said, tossing a Poke-ball into the air, releasing a sheep Pokemon that stood on it's hind legs, much of its white wool missing with only a ring around its neck and a poof on it's head. Its skin was a bright pink and it possessed a tail with yellow orb on the end.

"Flaff." It said, looking at Blake.

"My Mareep evolved in a Flaffy." Galen explained.

"Ah, and you want to test out its new strength." Blake said, receiving a nod from him before tossing a Poke-ball into the air to release his new Ralts. "Alright then, I'd like to test out a Pokemon too."

"Ralts?" It muttered, looking around.

"Ralts. It's time to battle." Blake said to the Pokemon, taking out his Pokedex to check its move set. "Hmm, these moves aren't bad."

"Let's go!" Galen shouted. "Flaffy, use Charge."

Flaffy stood completely stood, several small yellow orbs appearing in the air around, beginning to gather around Flaffy.

"Ralts, use Hypnosis." Blake said, receiving a nod from Ralts who placed its tiny arms on its head, a circular gray pulse forming in front its head that then rushed toward Flaffy, hitting the Sheep Pokemon dead on. Flaffy collapsed to the ground mid Charge, sound asleep.

"Flaffy, wake up." Galen said after her realized that the attack had put Flaffy to sleep.

"Ralts, use Confusion." Blake said. A blue outline formed around Flaffy, lifting it into the air. From there, Flaffy was thrown into a tree trunk and then slammed into the ground by Ralts.

The small Psychic type Pokemon began to snicker out loud as it picked up the sleeping Flaffy once again, slamming into down to the ground three more times before tossing it at a tree trunk.

"Ralts, enough." Blake said at the his Pokemon who was quickly becoming ruthless with its attacks, ignoring Blake's orders at it began to laugh out loud. 'It's strong. Stronger than his Flaffy.'

"Come Flaffy, wake up or we're done for." Galen called out to his sleeping partner that was being thrown around like a rag doll.

"Ralts, that will be enough." Blake hissed at the Pokemon who turned around to stick its tongue at Blake, but when it made eye contact with Blake, it froze up, dropping Flaffy. Flaffy's nose twitched several times before the Sheep Pokemon's eyes opened up.

"Finally, Flaffy, use Thundershock." Galen said, watching his partner get back on its feet.

"Flaff!" It said, unleashing a dozens of electrical bolts that rushed toward Ralts.

"Ralts, use Confusion and send them all back." Blake ordered, pointing at the approaching attack.

Ralts turned around, all of the yellow bolts turning blue just before they came into contact with the Psychic type. Now that the attack was under Ralts' control, the small Pokemon aimed them back at Flaffy who couldn't dodge the attack in time, wiping out the little bit of health it had left.

As Flaffy collapsed, Ralts' body lit up in a bright white light, glowing in the day light. Ralts began to grow, becoming taller, the little robe it wore morphing into a skirt. Now Ralts stood on two thin legs, the red horns on the front and back of its head receding into its head while a horn on each side of its head replaced them. The light faded revealing Ralts' new form.

"Kirlia." It said, turning around to face Blake.

'Hmm. No wonder it was so strong. It was already close to evolving.' Blake said, walking up to Kirlia. "Nice."

"Grr, you beat me again." Galen mumbled, retuning Flaffy to its Poke-ball. "I'll beat you Blake!"

Galen turned around and began sprinting back toward Violet City, shouting about starting another training spree.

"Great, I was trying to avoid something like that." Blake mumbled to himself, searching the pathway for Grace who he found seated on a low branch, watching the battle with a notebook on her lap. "Hey, do mind if we stop here to do some training?"

"Go ahead." She said, putting her ear buds back in her ears.

Taking the other three Poke-balls off his belt, Blake gave them a toss into the air to release the other members of his team. After they took shape, Poliwag, Larvitar and Cyndaquil took a few moments to stretch before realizing there were new faces around them. Blake had yet to introduce Poliwag and Kirlia to his time, so he figured he would get that over with now.

"Alright guys. Meet you're new partners." Blake said, watching Poliwag step up to Cyndaquil and Larvitar.

"Poli?" It asked the two of them.

"Cynda, Cyndaquil." Cyndaquil replied.

"Poli, Poliwag, Poli!" It said, beating its chest with his tail twice before hitting Cyndaquil across the face with its tail.

"Cyndaquil!" Cyndaquil shouted, igniting the flames on backs before attacking Poliwag. Poliwag was sent tumbling from the Tackle, but it quickly got back to its feet and fired a Water Gun which was narrowly avoided by Cyndaquil, but the attack hit Kirlia who was standing behind Cyndaquil.

"Kirlia." It said darkly, matching Blake's expression from its battle earlier, raising both his hands as its eyes became a light blue. Cyndaquil and Poliwag were lifted into the air after a blue outline formed around them. Swinging its arms to the left, Kirlia send both Cyndaquil and Poliwag flying into Larvitar, and thus the brawl had started.

Both Cyndaquil and Poliwag crashed into Larvitar, angering the small Rock Skin Pokemon. Rising to its feet, Larvitar glared at Kirlia before smashing its small into the ground, ripping a small chunk of earth from the ground which it hurled at Kirlia. The Psychic type Pokemon stopped the Rock Throw with the use of Confusion.

After its experience with Noctowl, Larvitar could tell that Kirlia was going to launch the rock back at Larvitar. Taking a few moments to charge up a Dark Pulse, Blake was surprised to Larvitar, in the heat of the moment, hold the Dark Pulse over its head where the orb became flat like a disk.

From there, Larvitar threw the disk toward Kirlia, watching it hover over the ground as it rushed toward the approaching Rock Throw attack. Cutting through the rock with ease, Blake raised an eyebrow at the power behind the attack. But what really gained his attention was when Kirlia attempted to use Confusion to stop the attack, but even when Confusion had clearly taken over, it continued on its course.

Kirlia was plucked off the ground by the attack, being sent flying into the trunk of a tree with a loud thud.

'Whoa, it flattened the orb to make sure the energy doesn't fall apart like it normally does.' Blake said to himself, thinking about what he could do with this attack.

"Cyndaquil!" The small Fire type Pokemon squealed, releasing a blast of flames from its mouth at Poliwag who fired a Water Gun in return, the water pushing right through the flames with ease. Cyndaquil was knocked backward from the Water Gun that cut straight through its flames, but once it was standing again, Cyndaquil used Quick Attack to close in on Poliwag.

Poliwag directed its Water Gun attack at the ground, lifting it into the air where it was momentarily safe from Cyndaquil, using this time to observe Cyndaquil from above.

Cyndaquil stopped moving, looking up at Poliwag who was in the air. Poliwag cut off its Water Gun, beginnings its decent back toward the ground, aiming himself at Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil opened its mouth, using Ember as Poliwag neared it, but Poliwag put its tail in the path of the Ember, deflecting the flames away from it.

Cyndaquil was unsure if its Ember had hit to it continued the attack until a hot object slapped itself down onto Cyndaquil's head, smashing it into the ground.

"Poli!" Poliwag said as it landed on the ground in front of Cyndaquil, its tail scorching hot and tinted red from redirecting the flames.

Kirlia rested against a tree trunk while Cyndaquil lay on the ground, both of their eyes replaced by black swirls. Larvitar and Poliwag turned to face each other, Larvitar glaring at Poliwag much like Blake glaring at anything while Poliwag beat its stomach with its tail, shouting.

Poliwag unleashed a Water Gun on Larvitar which it blocked taking a stone of the ground using Rock Throw and holding it in front of itself before chucking it at Poliwag, landing the swift attack which hit the Water type Pokemon.

Poliwag slid across the ground as Larvitar chased after it, preparing to finish it off using Bite. As Poliwag came to halt, it hit the ground with its tail to push itself into the air and perform a back flip to land its feet.

As Larvitar neared Poliwag, the Water type jumped to the left, narrowly avoiding the Bite attack before returning with a Pound, slapping Larvitar across the face. Larvitar, being a Rock type, was unaffected from the Pound and lunged at Poliwag to the finish Bit attack on Poliwag. Larvitar stepped back from Poliwag, raising its arm in victory. Grace began to clap for Larvitar.

"Good job." She said. "That Dark Pulse was really cool."

"Nice Larvitar." Blake said, spraying Kirlia with his Potion, restoring its health. Blake healed the rest of his team and returned them to their Poke-balls to rest except for Larvitar. "Larvitar, lets practice that version of Dark Pulse you just did."

**4/14/0046/Night**

**Route 31**

Robbie sat on a rock, Totodile sitting next to him with am Oran Berry in its hands, happily munching with the blue juice of the berry smeared all over its snout.

"Alright Totodile, today was another success." Robbie said to Totodile.

"Toto, Toto, Toto." It said, munching away on the large blue berry in its hands.

"Tomorrow we'll practice Ice Fang some more and find a few trainers to battle." Robbie said, patting Totodile on the head before looking around for some firewood since it was time to set up camp.

Totodile laid back on the rock after finishing its Oran Berry, ready to sleep for the night.

'Argh, I wish my debut was earlier.' Robbie said to himself. 'I'll have to rush to make for the Rookie Kings. Alright then, for now I'll focus on building up my team. First I have to find an Abra.'

**4/15/0046/Morning**

**Route 30**

"Chikorita, use Vine Whip!" Mari shouted after Chikorita landed a Tackle attack on the Poliwag. Two of the green buds on Chikorita extended outward toward Poliwag, lifting the Water Pokemon into the air. From there, Chikorita tossed Poliwag at a tree trunk, finishing off the Pokemon. "Awesome Chikorita!"

Mari took out her Pokedex and took a snap shot of Poliwag, entering the data into the Pokedex.

"Blake and Robbie must be way a head of us." Mari said, getting a nod from Chikorita. "Let's get super strong for our debut and then the Rookie Kings."

After Stanly left yesterday, the town immediately got to work on rebuilding what they could, but where ever Mari went to help, they all insisted that she leave to start her Battle Circuit conquest until they finally forced her out of town earlier this morning.

**4/15/0046/Noon**

**Route 32**

Blake watched as the Dark Pulse that Larvitar had morphed into a disk flew toward a tree trunk, cutting through the thick object with ease.

"Nice Larvitar." Blake commented, pleased that they had gotten better at the move after another training session that started at sunrise.

"So are we going to move along now?" Grace asked, putting down her pencil and notebook back into her backpack.

"Yeah, we should start moving again." Blake replied, collecting his hammock and backpack.

"We have to travel through Union Cave before we get to Azalea town. I heard Union Cave is packed with tough wild Pokemon and trainers from Azalea Town." Grace said.

"Good, then we'll get to train some more on the way, when do we get to Union Cave?"

"If we keep this pace we'll be there by lunch time tomorrow."

As the two of them continued to follow the dirt pathway, the tree began to disappear, a rugged terrain setting in around them on both sides.

"Good, we got farther than I thought. We just have to move through this valley, cross the waterway and we should find a Pokemon Center." Grace said, looking around at their surroundings.

"What's that book for?" Blake asked, looking down at the notebook Grace held in her hands.

"It's for the novel I'm writing." She replied quietly, her cheeks reddening from Blake's interest.

"Hmm, let me read it whenever you're done with it." Blake said, putting his headphones over his ears before she could give him an answer. Watching the boy begin to walk on ahead of her, Grace felt as if a wave washing over her body. Studying Blake from behind, he looked like nothing more than your average teenager, but something was bothering her about him.

'Why does it feel like I know him from somewhere?' She asked herself, her cheeks reddening once again. 'Why can't I remember him?'

**4/16/0046/Morning**

**Pokemon Center near Union Cave**

"I challenge you!" Someone shouted from behind Blake and Grace, neither of them hearing the person because their headphones were on while Larvitar looked back since it was only one to hear them.

Grace felt someone tap her shoulder and turned around to see a tall, male trainer standing behind them.

"I challenge you." He said again after she shut off her music.

"Sure." She said, taking off the one strap backpack she had on, handing it to Blake who muttered something under his breath as he took his spot at the sidelines. "How many Pokemon?"

"Just one." He said, taking some distance from her, deciding on what Pokemon he should use.

"Who are you?" Grace asked, taking off one of the six Poke-balls on her belt.

"My name is Chris, I'm an A-Class and I want to battle you." He said. "I already know who you are and I want to test my strength against you."

Chris tossed his Poke-ball into the air, releasing a Nidorino. Grace released her Pokemon as well, a yellow Pokemon that stood on all fours with several black, incomplete strips on it. It possessed a huge main of white fur around its neck and a large poofy tail with fluff covering the ankles of its hind legs. This Pokemon was taller than both Blake and Grace while it was standing on all fours.

"She's using her Shiny Arcanine!" Chris exclaimed. He had his work cut out for him. "Let's do this Nidorino, use Poison Fang!"

Nidorino opened its mouth, revealing a pair of sharp fangs that gained a dark purple aura. Pushing forward with its hind legs, Nidorino gave out a loud cry as it charged toward Arcanine.

"Arcanine, use Heat Wave." Grace said as Nidorino approached Arcanine. Arcanine opened its mouth, the air becoming fuzzy and distorted in front of it, flying toward Nidorino.

Nidorino charged into the distorted air, the intense heat wiping out all of its health in one hit. Nidorino collapsed to the ground without even landing the Poison Fang, black swirls located where its eyes would be.

"Nidorino return." Chris said, returning it to its Poke-ball. "I guess the IBF is still a far of dream."

"Don't worry, everyone starts at the bottom and works their way up, that's how I got this far." Grace said, waving to him as he gave her nod before leaving. Grace turned around to see Blake staring with a dark look.

"Who are you?" He asked. Before she could give him an answer, Arcanine could sense the malice being directed at its training and stepped in between Grace and Blake, returning Blake's glare. Blake stepped up to the larger Pokemon, darkening his glare while remaining unfazed by the hot air Arcanine blew in his face with its nostrils.

"Arcanine it's alright. He's friendly." Grace said, trying to calm her Pokemon. She hated trying to introduce people to her Arcanine. It hardly trusted anyone, and while Grace loved it from the bottom of her heart, it was incredibly annoying to to subdue Arcanine and show it when a friend is not a foe.

"Move you over sized fur ball." Blake growled, angering Arcanine. Blake jumped back as Arcanine snorted twice, a small burst of flames exiting its nose.

Arcanine smiled to itself since it was successful in forcing Blake to move first, but just a few seconds after Blake had moved back, a large piece of earth hit Arcanine square in the face. Arcanine stumbled backward with a growl, knocking over Grace who hit the ground with a soft yelp.

"Larvitar!" Larvitar shouted, getting Arcanine's attention.

As Arcanine noticed Larvitar standing a few feet to Blake's left, Larvitar threw another stone at Arcanine, hitting it in the face a second time. Arcanine flinched for a moment before glaring at Larvitar, a low growl escaping its mouth.

"Arcanine, calm down." Grace said, searching for its Poke-ball which had been knocked out her hand when Arcanine bumped into her. Arcanine opened its mouth, releasing a continuous stream of flames that was directed at Larvitar.

Larvitar jumped to is left to avoid the flames before rushing toward Arcanine, a pair of fangs growing in its mouth. Arcanine cut off its Flame Thrower since it had missed Larvitar, beginning to charge a Solar Beam.

As Larvitar ran toward Arcanine, Blake noticed that Arcanine seemed to flicker for just a moment realizing this was a trap. Blake rushed toward Larvitar as it hit Arcanine, but instead of hitting a solid body, Larvitar flew through and image of Arcanine while the real Arcanine was standing a few feet away from Grace, aiming its Solar Beam at Larvitar.

"Arcanine, don't!" Grace shouted as Arcanine fired the white beam at Larvitar. Just before the beam hit Larvitar, it felt something close up around its body, shielding it from the Solar Beam.

Grace watched in awe as Blake grabbed Larvitar with his left arm, putting up his right arm in attempt to shield himself from the Solar Beam, but just before it hit, Blake felt a surge of energy run through him. The Solar Beam hit his right forearm, but instead of obliterating his right arm, it was deflected away, flying up into the sky. Everyone was left speechless, including Blake himself.

'Whoa…' Was all Grace could manage to get out as she tried to understand what just happened. "H…How did you do that?"

Blake rolled up the sleeve covering his right arm a bit, once again seeing the two gray eyes below his wrist, but now the small blue triangle had an extension, looking like a rhombus now, but the extension was gray.

'What's going on?' Blake asked himself, watching the symbols on his wrist flicker.


	8. Progression

Chapter 8

**Kanto Region**

**Saffron City**

**Team Rocket Base**

"Gah!" A female trainer said as she was pushed to the ground, covered in bruises, her Alakazam on the floor next to her, the state of its body far worse than her own.

"For the last time, give us the Twisted Spoon!" A Team Rocket grunt shouted at her.

"No, I'll never let people like you have it!" She shouted in return, looking up at the grunt through her long bangs that had fallen in front her face. Receiving a hard kick to her stomach, the young woman fell over on her side, grasping her midsection in pain.

"We can do this all day girl. This'll continue until you give it to us." The grunt said, watching as she gasped for her for a few moments before placing on hand on the ground, forcing herself up into a sitting position.

"Never." She mumbled out loud, getting a chuckle from the grunt. Kneeling down in front of her, the grunt used the index finger of his left hand to lift up her head by the chin to look at the smirk he wore.

"Are you sure you can keep this up, cause I know I can." He said with a smile.

"You sick, twisted, evil little-gahh!" She began to before the grunt lashed out at her with his right hand, landing a devastating hook that sent to her to the floor with a hard thud. Remaining on her side, her eyes were covered by her bangs as she grit her teeth, fighting back tears.

'She's breaking...' The grunt noted, his smirk getting larger. Now it was time to go in for the finish. "Why are you putting yourself through this. You could just hand over the Twisted Spoon and be on your merry way."

Receiving no reply, the grunt looked down at her with a look of disappointed. He was almost having fun when she snapped back, but now it appeared that she was finished.

"Alright then." The grunt said, standing up straight. Raising one leg, he stomped down on her side, getting a scream of pain for her. "Speak!"

She remained silent.

"Fine, have it your way." He said, placing his left foot on top her head now. Keeping all his weight on his right, the grunt was prepared to give her one last offer. "Talk!"

He gave her ten seconds. No reply. Beginning to transfer his weight onto his left foot which rested on her head, she began to scream as the weight increased.

"Talk!" The grunt shouted again.

"Alakazam!" She screamed when she could no longer bare the pain. "It's inside Alakazam."

"What?" He asked, leaning forward with a smile after removing his foot from on top her head. Hearing her sniffled a few times, the grunt chuckled with a sick smile.

"It's in-inside Alakazam." She repeated to him, choking on her words.

"Inside your Alakzam huh? That could be pretty tricky for me to do on my own. I guess I'll have to check in with Alan for this one." The grunt muttered to himself. Hearing the footsteps of the grunt move away from her, the woman looked through her bangs to see the grunt collecting Alakazam's unconscious body from the ground, throwing it over his shoulder.

"Wha-what are you going to do with Alakazam?" The woman called out, watching as the grunt and her partner Pokemon disappeared into the darkness of the hallway that was entry way to the room she was resting in. "Don't take out the Twisted Spoon! It's the only thing keeping Alakazam alive! Come back, please!"

**Johto Region**

**Route 32**

The group of four composed of two Pokemon and two humans stood awe struck and silent, their eyes glued to Blake's right arm that had just deflected a Solar Beam attack that was capable of putting a hole through the strongest of metals.

"H…How did you do that?" Grace asked with a baffled expression, watching Blake who continued to stare at his arm.

"I have no idea." He replied, shrugging it off since he had no way of explaining exactly what he had done. He had felt a sudden energy boost surge through his body before he jumped in to save Larvitar, and the rest was nothing but a white flash. "Are you okay Larvitar?"

"Lar." It said, nodding to him as he let go, allowing it to land on the ground. Arcanine barked at Blake, forcing the amazing feat Blake had just pulled off out of its mind, taking off in another sprint toward Blake. Barring its fangs, electricity began to spark from its mouth as it prepared a Thunder Fang attack.

As Arcanine neared the duo of Blake and Larvitar, Blake pushed the small green Pokemon beside him away with his left foot before diving to the ground to his right to avoid being bitten by Arcanine. Realizing it had missed Blake, Arcanine came to a completely halt before turning around, glaring at Blake who was returning to his feet. The Fire type gave another growl before it raced toward Blake once more, faster this time.

Unsure of which way he should move now, Blake noticed the branches above and quickly came to a decision. Running toward Arcanine as well, Blake took a large leap into the air which barely got him over Arcanine's head. Once he was clear of its head, Blake managed to land on its back before using it as a springboard to launch himself up to the tree branches above. With two hands on the branch, Blake began to swing himself back and forth to gain enough momentum to throw him up onto the the next branch a head of him.

Arcanine had already spotted Blake trying to hide, Blake took note of the flames that Arcanine breathed out its nostrils which was a sign of what was coming next.

"Poliwag, come on out and use Water Gun!" Blake said, snatching the Poke-ball from his waist to release his only Water type. Arcanine opened its mouth, unleashing a large Flame Thrower that was aimed to catch Blake no matter where he moved.

"Poli!" The Tadpole Pokemon shouted as it fired a continuous stream of water from its mouth to fight against the oncoming flames. Poliwag's Water Gun was a tiny stream of water when compared to Arcanine's Flame Thrower, but it was enough to keep a small opening in the flames so that Blake and Poliwag weren't engulfed in the flames.

While Blake and Poliwag weren't eaten up by the flames, the tree branches surrounding them were, and size of the fire was quickly growing as Arcanine continued its assault on Blake.

"Arcanine, return!" Grace said, jumping out from the bushes along the side of the dirt pathway, holding Arcanine's Poke-ball. "Milotic, come out and use Water Pulse!"

As Arcanine disappeared into its Poke-ball, a serpentine Pokemon that's tail was scaly, alternating between the colors red and blue, replaced Arcanine on the field.

"Mii!" It shouted, a large sphere of clear water forming in front of it which was then fired at the tree where Blake and Poliwag were stuck. The water was more than enough to dose the flames, but Blake and Poliwag were caught in the blast, and Blake was soaked to say the least, although Poliwag was quite pleased to soaked in water.

'Opps...' Grace said after Blake jumped out of the tree, realizing she had drenched him in water. Pulling back his wet bangs that had fallen in front his eyes, Blake looked toward Grace with a glare.

"You still haven't answered my question. Who are you?"

"What do you mean who am I?" Grace asked as she returned her Milotic to its Poke-ball with a quick thanks for its assistance.

"At first I thought you were just a regular trainer, but you're way more than that." Blake said, returning his Poliwag to its Poke-ball. "You were with those people from the Committee, what are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything, and I'm of Committee member so they're my friends."

"A Committee member?" Blake repeated, getting a nod from Grace. "What do you know about Team Rocket?"

Grace's cheeks reddened with embarrassment as she looked away from Blake. She never listened to any of the meetings for the Committee members since they never let her leave Indigo Plateau. Why listen to the meetings since she'd never get to see any of those things in real life.

"Well I don't know much." Grace replied. "To the best of my knowledge, Team Rocket's next target is Azalea Town, that's why we're headed there."

Blake sighed. The information she had given him was everything he already knew, but he thanked her for it anyway before accepting her apology about the Water Pulse attack.

**Route 36**

"Hey you!" Robbie shouted at a female trainer who had just won three battles with her Yanma. "Let's battle!"

"Sure." She replied, pulling her flowing black hair into a pony tail since it had become a mess during her last battle. "My name is Carrie. I'm an R-Class trainer. Who are you?"

"My name's Robbie." Robbie replied confidently, motioning for Totodile to get off his shoulder and prepare for battle.

"What's you Battle Circuit record?" Carrie asked, getting a nervous chuckle from the teenage boy standing a small distance away from her.

"I haven't really...debuted yet." Robbie replied, getting a smirk from Carrie.

"Heh, then this should be easy." Carrie replied, her Yanma taking flight from the ground beside her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Robbie asked, a vein appearing on the side of his forehead.

"Basically, it means your weak." Carrie replied. "I already have five wins in the Battle Circuit while you've got none. The only conclusion that I could come to is that your weak with a record of zero wins."

Robbie was practically steaming at Carrie's blunt statement, and Totodile had taken notice of that. Blasting its trainer with a Water Gun attack to the face, Robbie's attention was directed to Totodile.

"What was that for?" Robbie asked, looking down at the Water type Pokemon.

"Toto-dile!" It said, raising both its arms to flex its none existent muscles. Right stood in silence for a moment before a Totodile's message finally got across to him, a smile growing on his face as he gave Totodile a nod.

"Right, let's show her just how strong we really are." Robbie said, raising a fist toward Carrie.

"Alright, if you want to be humiliated that badly." Carrie muttered with a shrug. "Yanma, start off with Quick Attack!"

"Yam!" It said, bursting forward toward Totodile, its wings reflecting the light of the sun which blinding Robbie and Totodile momentarily which was enough for Yanma to land a fast hit. Totodile was sent tumbling backward a few feet, but once it came to a halt, the Water type jumped back to its feet, brushing off the attack as if it was nothing.

"Alright, the training did pay off!" Robbie said, pumping his fist into the air. "Now Totodile, let's go in with Scratch!"

Now it was Totodile's turn to burst forward, showing of its increased speed which was still nothing compared to Yanma's as the Bug/Flying type easily avoided the physical attack, putting some distance between itself and Totodile in an instant.

"Yanma, use Wing Attack!"

"Hold it back with Water Gun!"

Firing off a powerful stream of water at Yanma who had come charging toward it, Totodile forcefully held back Yanma with the pressurized water, halting its attack.

"Yanma, press forward with all your strength!"

"Yanma!" It shouted, the speed of its wings flapping doubling as they became a white blur, the dual type Pokemon beginning to move toward Totodile despite having the Water Gun pushing against it.

"Totodile, cut off the Water Gun and use Scratch!" Robbie said quickly, getting a nod from the Totodile who followed his commands. Yanma shot forward at full speed now that it had no obstacles in its path, only to meet with a heavy downward Scratch attack had all of Totodile's body weight behind which smashed it into the ground. "End it with Water Gun!"

"Yanma, look out!" Carrie shouted to her partner as Totodile opened its mouth, releasing a point blank Water Gun attack that send Yanma flying toward its trainer. Yanma landed on the ground in front of Carrie with a groan, soaked in water and its eyes replaced with black swirls.

"Awesome Totodile!" Robbie shouted, rushing over to Totodile who he slapped on the back before hoisting it up onto his head, beginning to party over his victory.

"Yanma, return."Carrie mumbled, withdrawing her unconscious Pokemon to the safety of its Poke-ball. "You only won because Yanma was tired from its other battles today. But you are pretty good. Can you tell me your name again?"

"Robbie."

"I had better see you at the Rookie Kings so I can pay you back in full for this." Carrie said, giving him a way as she began to head in the direction of Violet City.

'The Rookie Kings...their must be a lot of people entering this year.' He said to himself, deciding that he'd need to double up on his training to make sure he could beat everyone opponent he would be facing in the future.

**Violet City**

**Pokemon Academy**

Mari sat inside of the lobby of a large building on the east side of Violet City. It was the Pokemon Academy that was know all over Johto for producing some of the famous trainers in the Johto Battle Circuit such as Meegan J, the current Champion. The lobby was crowded with trainers that were waiting for a small tournament that was specially for pre-debut trainers to gauge their strength.

Her goal today was to have as many battles as she could, and learn from the pre-debut trainers that had gathered from the area's surrounding Violet City.

"Miss Mari?" The attendant behind the desk called out. Mari rose from her seat, approaching the man who was waiting for her. "You've been approved. Your first battle will be on Field 4. One Pokemon only.

"Thank you."

* * *

><p>Mari stood in the blue box of the battle field. She would be facing a male trainer who already had his Pokemon waiting on the battle field when she arrived. It was Ledyba that was observing her with a blank stare.<p>

"Are you ready?" The ref asked, getting a nod from Mari as she released her Eevee onto the field. "Alright, battle begin."

"Eevee, counter with Quick Attack!"

"Ledyba, use Mach Punch!"

Both Pokemon shot forward at a high speed, meeting each other with a hard thud. Eevee stumbled backward, Ledyba's Mach Punch having a type advantage which led to Ledyba powering forward.

"Follow up with Comet Punch Ledyba!"

"Eevee, push it off with Tackle!"

Using only its hind legs to push itself forward, Eevee lunged at the approaching Ledyba, ramming its small body against it, but that didn't stop Ledyba. Eevee received a chain of fast blows form Ledyba which sent it tumbling backward again.

"Ledyba, keep it up!"

"Ledy!" It said as it jumped at Eevee again to continue its assault.

"Eevee, keep your distance from Ledyba using Quick Attack!" Mari said, motioning for Eevee to pull back from Ledyba.

"Vee." It muttered, moving away from Ledyba. Keeping its distance for a while, using its superior speed ot its advantage.

"Now Eevee, let's get it with Secret Power!"

"Ee-vee!" The small brown Pokemon shouted as a wight halo formed around its body.

"Get ready Ledyba!"

All over the field, small white spots formed on the ground that then rose up from the floor, taking of the shape of an orb as the floated in mid air surrounding Ledyba. There were at least a hundred, and Ledyba was was covered from every angle.

"Crud, Ledyba can't dodge that."

"Vee!" Eevee squealed, the orbs racing in toward Ledyba. The Bug/Flying type could only grunt as the orbs rained down onto its body, effectively wiping out almost all of Ledyba's health.

"Eevee, use Tackle while it's open!" Mari ordered. Eevee charged in toward a dazed Ledyba, landing a hard hit to its body which sent it sliding across the field on its back.

"Ledyba is unable to continue. Eevee wins." The ref said, raising the blue flag.

"I guess we still have some training to do." The boy said, returning his Ledyba to its Poke-ball before leaving with his hands in his pockets.

Mari quickly rushed onto field to check on Eevee was currently resting on its side, taking shallow breaths.

"It still takes a lot of energy to use Secret Power doesn't it?" Mari asked Eevee, getting a small nod from the Pokemon. "Rest up, I'll use Chikorita next."

* * *

><p>Out of sixty five trainers, Mari made it to the top 16 before losing which told her that there were still many trainers that were stronger than her.<p>

'Johto's a big place.' Mari said to herself, exiting the Academy. 'I need to train more if I plan to earn the money for the Cherrygrove debt in the Battle Circuit.'

**4/17/0046/Morning**

**Union Cave**

Blake and Grace stared at Union Cave in shock, although the surprise wasn't evident on the faces of either trainer. The entrance to the cave looked like any other, but the ceiling of the cave had multiple holes that appeared to be drilled into, allowing daylight into the cave.

The question was why would someone do this?

"Hey." Blake called out to a rather large boy that was observing the entrance like he and Grace were. He appeared to be around the same age as Blake, but Blake could tell just by his clothing that this boy wasn't a trainer. "Do you know what happened her?"

"No, I got her earlier this morning and found it like this. It looks like something was going down in her a while ago." He replied.

"Hmm...I guess I'll forget it for now." Blake mumbled to himself before waving to Grace. "Let's go."

The dark haired duo began to move into Union Cave, using the daylight provided from the holes in the ceiling to stay on course.

"Hey!" Someone shouted, getting Blake's attention. Looking back, Blake saw the boy that was at the entrance of Union Cave running toward them.

"Yeah?"

"Do you mind if I follow you through here? I don't have any Pokemon and I've heard that Union Cave is pretty dangerous to travel through alone without Pokemon." He explained.

"Do whatever you want. It's no big deal." Blake replied nonchalantly.

"Thanks man!" He said happily. "By the way, my name is Jerry."

"Blake." Blake responded as he began to walk forward again.

"I'm Grace, nice to meet you." Grace said, introducing herself.

"Geodude!" A new voice shouted as Blake was suddenly thrown to his bottom. One of the rocks Blake had just stepped on was moving. "Geo-dude!"

"Are you okay?" Grace asked, watching Blake jump to his feet with his Pokedex out, taking a snapshot of Geodude.

"I'll be fine once I'm done battling this Pokemon." Blake replied, quickly reading over Geodude's data from the Pokedex before selecting Poliwag's Poke-ball. Before he could give the Poke-ball a toss, Blake found the Geodude hanging onto his leg with a tight grip, shouting at him.

Blake gave the Rock Pokemon a dark glare before he swung his leg repeatedly, trying to shake it off. Eventually Geodude's grip loosened before it finally slipped off Blake's leg, being sent flying into the wall of the cave. The loud bang produced from Geodude colliding with the rock wall disturbed many Geodude that had been sleeping in that area.

"Nice. Poliwag, let's battle." Blake said, releasing his Water type partner from its Poke-ball.

As Poliwag appearing in the cave, a group of nine Geodude had cut off the groups path, all of them shouting at them for awakening them from their sleep. As Grace took Milotic's Poke-ball off her belt, she noticed a signal from Blake telling her not to join the battle.

"Leave this to use." Blake said. "Poliwag, use Water Gun.

Poliwag blasted away three of the Geodude's using Water Gun, but the remaining six surrounded it, preparing to attack. Three of them ripped a chunk of earth out the ground, throwing it at Poliwag while the other three began to move in.

"Poliwag, use Pound on the ground." Blake said, watching Poliwag spring itself into the air using its tail, avoiding the Rock Throw from the three Geodude's, two of the Geodude's that had moved closer getting hit by the rocks. "Now use Water Gun."

"Poli." It said, blowing away two more Geodude's, both of them crashing into a large rock that was resting against the wall of the cave. While Poliwag knocked out another Geodude while Water Gun, the large rock began to move, rolling over to reveal a face, four small yet bulky arms and two feet at the bottom of the rock.

"Graveler." It said angrily, approaching Poliwag after tearing a large rock of the ground.

"Poliwag, jumped behind the approaching Geodude." Blake said, noticing the Graveler approaching from behind Poliwag. "Then use Pound on the Geodude and send it flying toward Graveler."

Poliwag followed his command, jumping into the air to avoid a Tackle attack from one of the remaining Geodude's landing behind it as Graveler hurled the large stone at Poliwag. Blake took a snap shot of Graveler, watching Poliwag slam the Geodude with its tail on the back, sending the Pokemon flying toward the rock Graveler had thrown.

Geodude broke right through the rock, splitting it in half which cleared the threat without any trouble. The Geodude continued its path, flying toward Graveler who wasn't expecting anything like this, crashing into the Rock Pokemon. Without Blake's command, Poliwag used Water Gun on the remaining Geodude, finishing off the Pokemon.

"Nice Poliwag." Blake said before Graveler groaned, rising to its feet while the Geodude that had crashed into it lay on the ground next to it, its eyes replaced with swirls.

"Graveler." It said, picking up the unconscious Geodude next to it. It then chucked it at Poliwag, before getting a running start, curling itself up tightly into a ball, beginning to roll toward the group.

"Oh no, it's using the Rollout. It'll smush us like a pancake." The boy said, hiding behind Blake.

"Poliwag, use Pound and send Geodude back. Aim to hit the ground in front of where Graveler is going to move to." Blake said.

Poliwag did just that, sending Geodude right into Graveler's path.

"Now use Water Gun on the ground in front of Graveler." Blake said. Poliwag soaked the ground, a large puddle forming as Graveler hit Geodude, the obstacle in its path causing it to rise into the air for a few seconds before landing on the puddle, the Rollout attack still going.

"It's going to run us over!" The boy shouted in fear before Graverler suddenly turned off course, running straight into the wall of the cave.

"Poliwag, end it with Water Gun." Blake said, watching Poliwag finish the job. "Nice."

Blake, Grace and Poliwag continued walking along, leaving the boy behind.

"H…Hey wait for me." He said, running after them.

**4/20/0046/Night**

**Route 33**

Blake and Grace finally made it to the exit of Union Cave, pleased that they got out the cave before it got too dark to see. The entire day went to Poliwag who battled dozens of Rock type Pokemon inside Union Cave as training.

"We made it." Jerry said happily, joining them in looking up at the night time sky.

"Let's camp here for tonight. Azalea Town is still to far way." Grace said, dropping her back pack. Blake gave her nod in agreement, looking for a place to set up his hammock.

Blake found a nice spot on some low tree branches to set it up when he noticed Jerry laying down on the ground using his back pack as a pillow. Normally Blake would ignore a scene like that, but instead a he chucked one of his Poke-balls at Jerry to get his attention.

"Oww, what was that for?" He whined, both his hands covering the spot on his head where he was hit.

"Sleep here." Blake said, standing next to the hammock that had already been set up. Jerry looked at him for a moment before rushing over to Blake, giving him a bone crushing hug.

"Thanks man!" He shouted happily. "But where are you going to sleep?"

"I have a spare." Blake said, walking over to grab the Poke-ball he had thrown at Jerry and his back pack after Jerry released him. From there he began to climb the tree, looking for a spot to sleep, giving Jerry a thumbs up to reassure him.

Jerry returned the thumbs up before climbing into the hammock, falling asleep in an instant. Blake on other hand had found a branch he could rest on since he didn't have a spare hammock.

'There's your good deed for today.' Blake said, remembering Lola's words that she had drilled into him while he was living in the Orphanage. 'Do at least once good deed every day and something good will happen in return.'

**4/20/0046/Morning**

**Azalea Town**

The small town was mainly a condensed area of small wooden houses that went on for about half a mile, a few buildings that stood out from the rest like the Pokemon Center and the Gateway to Ilex Forest, a place that was a safe haven for trainers and Pokemon during the Dark Days. Surrounding the city was a thin forest that grew thick heading to the west side of the town, the location of Ilex Forest, a thick forest that went on for miles, filled with Pokemon and said to be home to the Forest Guardian.

Surprisingly, Azalea Town had preserved the Pokemon Gym from the Old Days, through the Dark Days and kept it open to this day as a place where trainers in the Battle Circuit could test their strength.

After parting with Jerry at the entrance to Azalea Town, Grace and Blake began their search for the Committee members in this small town.

"Do you have any idea who we're looking for?" Blake asked, looking around at the town's people who were standing in their shops, discussing random topics with their customers.

"Yeah, there should be five Committee members we have to meet up with." Grace replied. "They should be waiting in the northern side of the city in a park."

"You mean that park?" Blake asked, pointing at the fenced area a head where multiple small kids were chasing each other on the grassy plain, a sign on the fence reading 'Azalea Town Park'.

"I'll go with it." Grace said as the two of them entered the park, noticing a group of five adults seated on two benches, only one of them standing.

One of them began to wave, recognizing Grace. Grace recognized three of the five people as Randy, Shari, and Rachel from the Johto Committee.

"Hey Grace, is that your boyfriend?" Rachel asked teasingly. Grace turned red, denying Rachel's jab while Blake stared at her blankly. She was the same height as Blake with cream skin and dark brown hair. She sat on the bench, her legs crossed wearing a pair of blue denim jeans and a red t-shirt that was visible through her unzipped black jacket that was missing its sleeves.

"Ignore her Grace." Shari said, preventing Rachel from continuing. "Anyway, these two people are from the Kanto Committee. This guy is Brad, one of the toughest guys in the Kanto Committee. And the girl is Jackie. Everyone says she's sure to make it to the top of the Committee with her brains."

"Nice to meet you." Jackie said kindly with a soft smile as if the compliment meant nothing to her. She was a young dark skinned woman that appeared to be in her early twenties with short black hair that was pulled back into a bun. She wore a simple pair of denim jeans and a burgundy blouse.

Brad didn't even spare the group a wave. He just continued to look up at the sky through his black bangs. He was dressed in a pair of cargo pants and a t-shirt, both in black. There was chain looping around from his front pocket to his back and one his wrist was a brown leather wrist band.

"Likewise." Grace replied with the same kindness Jackie had shown to her. Blake focused on Brad more than Jackie, glancing up at the sky to see what the young man found so interesting in the vast open space.

"Blake, it's been so long." Shari exclaimed, approaching the boy who only glanced at her.

"Its only been a few days." Blake replied.

"But partners shouldn't be apart for that long." Shari continued as she slapped his back. Blake stiffened up before glaring at her.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, deciding that it was best that he ignore her previous action.

"We'll be partners in a matter of weeks so we have to get to know each other." Shari explained, reminding Blake of the fact that he would be joining Team Rocket once they were done in Azalea Town.

"Alright, can we get down to business. I'm supposed to be tailing Dustin and it's easy to lose track of that guy so I don't have much time." Randy said, putting the conversation back on its original focus.

"Right. So as all of you know, Team Rocket is planning an attack on Azalea Town sometime in the near future. It's our duty to figure out what Team Rocket's goal is and prevent them from harming anyone in the process." Shari explained.

"So why are members of the Kanto Committee here?" Blake asked, looking over at the duo.

"We were sent by the Commissioner to do some information gathering. Team Rocket has preformed a few small operation in Kanto, and everyone wants answers." Jackie explained. "We noticed that Team Rocket is more active in Johto then Kanto, so we decided to join the investigation over her to see if there is any links between their movements in the two regions."

"Team Rocket is obviously bigger than we first anticipated if they are in Kanto as well. At this rate, they'll become an international threat." Rachel said, but before she could continue, the screams of several children gained their attention.

It wasn't the usual cheer of a child playing with their friends, it was clear that their voices were filled with fear and panic.

"Ur-saring!" A deep burly voice roared over the screams. The group of Committee members and Blake turned in the direction of the screaming, spotting six Ursaring's advancing on the park from the border of the town, pursuing the children that had been playing near the edge of the town.


	9. Battle in Azalea Town

Chapter 9

"Alright, its battle time." Brad said, snatching a Poke-ball from his belt as he began to move toward the pack of Ursaring's.

The children that were previously playing near the edge of the town were now sprinting back at full speed . Releasing his Flygon from its Poke-ball as he neared the Ursaring's, ordering it to use Dragon Breath on the closet Ursaring. Getting the attention of five of the six Ursaring's, Brad kept their attention as Blake went after the final Ursaring that was was still pursuing the children.

One of the children, a small boy, had tripped over his own feet, falling to the ground face first which allowed the remaining Ursaring to catch up to him as the other kids left him behind, focused on their own safety. Looming over the boy, Ursaring roared as it raised its right paw, extending its claws as it prepared to Slash.

Just before it dropped down in large hand on the boy, Larvitar attacked it from behind. Landing a Bite attack on the side of its neck, Ursaring paused for a few moments, glaring at Larvitar.

"Ur!" It shouted, grabbing Larvitar from its neck, Ursaring tossed the small Pokemon aside before focusing on the boy once more, readying its claws again. Opening his eyes just a bit, the boy saw Ursaring begin to drop its massive paw toward him before a body suddenly covered his, blocking Ursaring's attack.

Blake grunted as Ursaring's claws cut straight through his clothes, leaving for long cuts on his back, blood beginning to exit the large wounds. Ursaring jumped back, a bit surprised by Blake who had it hadn't noticed until the last second.

"That's one tough kid you brought Shari." Rachel noted, watching Blake flop over onto his side after taking the hit for the boy. "Nidoqueen, use Mega Punch!"

"He's just full of surprises." Shari replied as her Magmar landed a Flame Thrower on one of the Ursaring's the other Committee members had engaged.

"Larvitar, use Rock Throw!" Blake called out to his partner who was glaring at Ursaring from a considerable distance. Tearing a piece of earth from the ground, Larvitar chucked it at Ursaring who failed to dodge the attack. Even though it didn't cause much damage to Ursaring, it succeeded in getting Ursaring's attention away from Blake.

Going down on all fours, Ursaring charged toward Larvitar, intent on beating the small Pokemon now that it had angered it.

"Go, I'll keep it busy." Blake said, nudging the small boy who was still laying on the ground beside him, completely petrified.

"Blake, are you okay?" Grace asked as she neared the two of them, kneeling down beside the boy.

"I"ll be fine, but Larvitar could use some help." Blake said, motioning to the battle where Ursaring landed a hard chop on Larvitar.

"Arcanine, help out Larvitar with Thunder Fang!" Grace said, releasing her Arcanine to join the battle.

"Thanks." Blake said, still trying to get the boy to move from the curled up position he had transitioned into.

"Don't worry, I'll get him to safety." Grace said, lifting the boy from the ground, beginning to move in the direction that the other children had gone in.

Groaning when a few blades of grass brushed against the cuts on his back, Blake rolled onto his side to avoid having anything else touch his cuts, also gaining a good view of the battle. Jumping onto Ursaring from behind, Arcanine sunk its teeth into the Bear Pokemon's shoulder, running an electrical charge into its body.

Ursaring roared before it grabbed Arcanine by its neck. Roughly ripping the Fire type Pokemon off its shoulder, Ursaring slammed into onto the ground in front of it before landing a hard Brick Break attack to its torso. Using the time Ursaring was busy with Arcanine, Larvitar charged up a Modified Dark Pulse from a distance which it then hurled toward Ursaring.

Surprisingly, Ursaring knocked away the attack with ease using its forearm before rushing at it, landing another Brick Break to Larvitar's side which sent it tumbling across the ground.

'Hmm, they won't be able to handle that Ursaring on their own.' Blake grumbled to himself, reaching for Poke-balls on his belt. Only being able to reach Cyndaquil's and Poliwag's Poke-ball without causing himself to much pain. "Poliwag, Cyndaquil, you guys have to help out Larvitar and Arcanine. Use any means necessary."

The two Pokemon gave him a nod before rushing into the battle. Arcanine stood alone against Ursaring, Larvitar resting on the ground not to far from them with a pair of swirls replacing its eyes. The small green Pokemon had been knocked out by a Brick Break attack from Ursaring earlier, leaving Arcanine to continue by itself.

Attempting to charge up a Solar Beam attack, Arcanine was knocked to the ground by a Hammer Arm from Ursaring followed by several Slash attacks. As it continued is onslaught of attacks on Arcanine, Ursaring failed to notice Cyndaquil who attacked it from behind with Quick Attack, getting its attention. Turning around to Cyndaquil, Ursaring growled when it was forced to put its arms in front its face to block out an Ember attack.

Holding the attack, Cyndaquil tried to keep Ursaring at bay, but after just a few moments a dark purple aura broke through the flames, snatching Cyndaquil from the ground.

"Quil!" It cried out as Ursaring held over the ground using Shadow Claw, slowly crushing the smaller Pokemon. Taking a blast of pressurized water to its stomach, Ursaring looked to Poliwag who was standing a few feet away, beating its chest as a challenge for Ursaring.

Tossing Cyndaquil, Ursaring lashed out a Poliwag with its Shadow Claw, the Water type Pokemon managing to evade the attack. Moving to its left, Poliwag fired off another Water Gun aimed for Ursaring's face which forced the Bear Pokemon to stumble backward. Cutting off the Water Gun attack, Poliwag took this as an opportunity to launch its newest attack, unleashing a horde of bubbles from its mouth.

While Poliwag kept Ursaring at bay, Cyndaquil had spent its time building up heat around its body for the special Quick Attack it had been working on with Blake back on Route 32.

"Cynda!" It shouted, giving Poliwag the signal to end its attack. As Poliwag did that, Cyndaquil raced toward Ursaring, ramming it self into its stomach which inflicted a Burn status on it. Moving backward, Ursaring's body became engulfed in flames, causing a small amount of damage that was piling onto the damage that had already been done to it.

Cyndaquil and Poliwag moved away from Ursaring, giving Arcanine a clear target with its Solar Beam. Firing the white beam at Ursaring, it exploded on impact, creating a cloud of billowing black smoke. After a few moments, the smoke cleared up revealing Ursaring who rested on its back with a pair of swirls replacing its eyes.

Poliwag beat its chest with its tail, cheering over the victory over Ursaring before is small body became completely white. Gaining a whitish glow, Poliwag grew and extra foot in height, becoming larger that it originally was while its tail retracted into its body in trade for two arms. The light faded away, revealing Poliwag's new form.

"Poliwhirl." It said, its voice much deeper than before, looking down at its hands in confusion, unsure of what exactly they were for.

The Committee members battling the other Ursaring's had some trouble battling them, but all five at won without the need to bring in a second Pokemon.

"What are six Ursaring's doing here?" Randy asked out loud, returning his Ambipom to its Poke-ball.

"I have no idea." Shari replied. "Ursaring's are never in this area."

"They're not wild." Brad said suddenly, observing the Ursaring he had beaten. "Wild Ursaring's live in the mountains. Someone trained them, and released them here for a reason."

"But why would someone release a pack of trained Ursaring's on Azalea Town?" Jackie asked, spraying her Starmie with a Super Potion.

As the Committee members continued to discuss the situation, Blake sat up, removing his jacket and shirt to check the damage, revealing his bare back.

"They're wrecked." Blake mumbled with a sigh, ignoring the pain from his back as best he could.

"Blake, you should get those check out by a doctor." Grace said to Blake as she approached him with pink cheeks since she had never seen a guy shirtless before. Grace's bruise covered Arcanine trotted over to the girl, proud of his victory, although it was sure to make sure it was between Blake and Grace.

"They're just scratches." Blake replied, rising to his feet. Gritting his teeth to ignore the stinging pain from his back, Blake looked around at the Committee members that had joined him and Grace.

"She's right kid. Get those checked out if you plan on helping us." Brad said, walking over to Blake to check the wounds himself.

"It was him mommy." A small voice said. Everyone turned around, finding the small boy Blake had saved, pointing at him with his mother pointing at him.

"Oh my goodness! Are you alright?" She asked when she got a decent look at Blake's back. Although he didn't really feel like talking, Blake gave her small smile with a thumbs to reassure her that he would be fine. "I can't thank you enough for saving Timmy. What's your name? At least let me know the name of my son's savior."

"It was no trouble. My name is Blake."

**4/22/0046/Night**

**Violet City**

**Battle Dome**

Mari and Robbie found each other in the lobby and used the time to catch up while they were waiting for their match.

"It's finally time for our debut, are you ready Mari?" Robbie asked as the two of them stood in the waiting room, watching the second match of the night.

"Yeah, I'm sure me and my Bayleef can handle anything." Mari said excitedly, waiting for Robbie's reaction. But there wasn't one for a short period of time before Robbie realized she had used the name of Chikorita's evolved form.

"Chikorita evolved?" He exclaimed rather loudly.

"Yup, we had a tough training session Route 32 for the past week and it evolved two days ago." Mari explained with a small grin. "I can't wait to test it out for our debut tonight."

"Well then it look like we're not the only ones who managed to evolve before our debut." Robbie mumbled out.

"Don't tell me...Totodile evolved?" Mari asked, getting a confident nod from Robbie before Nurse Joy entered the room.

"Match 3, Robbie, blue box." Nurse Joy called out, scanning the room for the trainer she had called for.

"Just wait. You'll get to see us in action in just a minute." Robbie said, hitting his chest with his fist before giving her a thumbs up as left the room.

* * *

><p>Robbie stood in the blue box of the battle field, waiting for the battle to begin while sizing up his opponent who appeared to only be slightly older than him.<p>

"Trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted.

Robbie selected Croconaw's Poke-ball and chucked onto the field at the same with the male trainer he was battling. Their Poke-balls met in a burst of sparks releasing the Pokemon they were using.

"Battle begin!" The ref shouted raising both the flags he held.

Croconaw appeared on the field facing a Delibird.

"Delibird, use Icy Wind!" The boy shouted, watching the bird Pokemon begin to flap its wings, a chilling icy blue wind flying toward Croconaw who stood firmly in its position.

"Croconaw, use Scratch!" Robbie said, watching his Water Pokemon began to trek through the wind, slowly moving closer to Delibird. Once Croconaw was close enough, it lunged at Delibird, swiping at its body with its claws, stopping the Icy Wind. "Now follow up with Bite."

Croconaw chomped down on its torso, leaving only a little bit of its health back from the attack.

"Now toss it up and get it with Water Gun." Robbie said, watching Croconaw toss Delibird into the air with just its mouth before opening its mouth, shooting a stream of Delibird that sent it flying off the field. Delibird landed on the ground outside the field, its eyes replaced by black swirls.

"Delibird is unable to battle, Croconaw wins." The ref said, raising the blue flag, the crowd bursting into cheers.

"And tonight we see a one-sided victory coming from a rookie who just had their debut." The announcer said as Robbie exited the stadium, waving to the people who were cheering for him.

* * *

><p>"And now for tonight's fifth Match, introducing Haley, an R-Class trainer with a record of 2-2-0 in the red box against Mari, a new trainer that's having her debut tonight." The announcer said, introducing the trainers.<p>

"Rookie! Have a good battle!" The crowd said as Mari waved to them, looking at the seating area that surrounded the field holding over a thousand people.

"Trainers, Clash!" The ref said.

Mari and Haley threw their Poke-balls onto the field, a burst of sparks flying out in all directions as they met before releasing Mari's Bayleef and Haley's Gligar.

"Bayleef, start off with Razor Leaf!" Mari shouted.

"Bay!" It shouted, swinging its head, the huge leaf on its head releasing several small crescent shaped leaves that flew toward Gligar.

"Gligar, dodge using Quick Attack." Haley ordered, getting a nod from Gligar. Gligar flew toward the Razor Leaf attack, disappearing just before it was hit, reappearing to the left the attack. Gligar continued to this until it closed in on Bayleef, ramming itself into the Grass Pokemon.

"Bayleef, use Vine Whip while Gligar is close." Mari shouted as Gligar bounced back from Bayleef, regaining its balance in the air. From Bayleef's neck, two vines extended outward, rushing toward Gilgar. Just as they were about to close up around Gligar, the Pokemon disappear from sight, the vines failing to capture it.

"Gligar, use Poison Sting." Haley said as Gligar appeared behind Bayleef, the tip of its tail becoming a dark purple as it rushed at Bayleef.

"Bayleef, push yourself into the air with Vine Whip." Mari said. Two more vines extended out of Bayleef's neck, the Grass type Pokemon using these to push itself into the air to avoid the super effective Posion type attack the Gligar was using. "Now catch it."

Gligar hadn't realized it stopped in between all four of Bayleef's vines, giving Bayleef a chance to catch the Pokemon with its vines which it did, holding Gligar in place. Mari didn't even need to give Bayleef the command since it began to plummet back to the ground, Gligar stuck where it would be landing.

"Gligar!" Haley shouted as Bayleef landed on top the Pokemon, wiping out all its health with one hit. Bayleef got off of Gligar for the ref to check.

"Gligar is unable to battle, the winner is Bayleef!" The crowd burst into cheers at the finish of another battle.

"Yeah, we did it!" Mari shouted, running onto the field to give Bayleef a hug.

* * *

><p>"Nice job Mari." Robbie said to her as the two of them looked met up after Mari's match.<p>

"Same to you. That only leaves Blake to show up next." Mari said as the two of them entered the waiting from, looking up at the monitor where a trainer named Matt and his Lombre were having a match.

"Debut trainers are always in the blue box, I wonder where he went?" Mari said, looking around the room for the third person in the team Professor Elm had put together.

* * *

><p>"What!" Matt shouted, slapping his hand down on the counter, surprising the Nurse Joy. "Are you serious?"<p>

"I'm sorry but your debut was in Kanto and that means you have enter the Kanto Rookie Kings." Nurse Joy said to Matt who had come to enter the Rookie Kings Tournament since he had just won his fourth match tonight, the only requirement to enter the Rookie Kings.

"Heh. Alright. Can you move me over to the Regular Circuit?" Matt asked with a sigh.

"Sure. I'm sorry about the Rookie Kings. It's rare something like this happens."

"Its alright, I just need to become a B-Class trainer before the IBF Tourney. The Rookie Kings was the fastest route but the Regular Circuit should get me there on time too." Matt said, watching her type the information into the computer.

The Regular Circuit was different to the Regional Circiut. In the Regional Circuit, you could only battle trainers from the trainer class you were currently in and build up enough wins to move up to the next class. This Circuit is where you can get a little gain with no loss if something goes wrong.

In the Regular Circuit, you have the ability to challenge trainers from different class depending on if you're in the IBF or not and move up a class if you can win against someone from a higher class. This Circuit is a lot riskier than the Regional Circuit because in these battles, your putting the ranking you've built up on the line. Losing means you're back at the bottom of your trainer class, but the gain is excellent if you can win against someone from a higher class.

"It's all set." She said sympathetically, giving him a wave. "Good luck."

Matt returned the wave as he left the Battle Dome in a sour mood.

* * *

><p>"Did you find Blake?" Mari asked Robbie as the two them met up outside the Battle Dome once the final Match for the night was finished.<p>

"Nope. I wonder where he is." Robbie said.

"He seemed so serious about his debut but oh well. I'll see you at the Rookie Kings Robbie." Mari said, giving him a wave.

"And I'll be the one taking the Rookie King title." Robbie said as they both began walking off in different directions.

"Well that means you'll have to beat me if you plan to get it!" Mari shouted.

'There's no way I'm going to loss.' Was the thought that went through both their heads.

**4/24/0046/Noon**

**Azalea Town**

**Gateway to Ilex Forest**

Throughout the past four days, Azalea Town had come under attack from the north, west and south by trained Pokemon that did not belong in the area. Ursaring's from the north, Tentacruel's to the south and Victreebel's to the west and today they were battling Vileplume's at the Gate to Ilex Forest.

Blake had gotten his back checked and the doctor told him 'You're lucky they're so shallow. Any deeper and it would be ripping apart your back muscles'. Surprisingly, the cuts had already closed up and Blake wasn't feeling any pain from the old wounds. Even though Blake hadn't asked, Timmy's mother requested that she repair the clothes that were cut up in the battle for him and now his jacket and shirt looked as good as new.

"Cyndaquil, use Flame Wheel." Blake yelled to his partner, watching the Fire Pokemon rushed toward the Vileplume it was battling, its body becoming engulfed in flames that resembled the shape of a wheel. Vileplume was hit straight on, the Fire type attack taking out the last bit of its health.

"Nice." Blake said, watching Cyndaquil turn completely white. Cyndaquil grew an extra foot in height, becoming skinnier than it previously was, its arms becoming somewhat longer and more useable.

"Quilava." It said once the light faded away, igniting the flames on its body. Instead of the flames coming out its back like it had before it evolved, the flames only came out in a straight line on top its head and near its bottom.

"I knew you'd evolve sometime soon. Let's test your strength. Use the Pyro Quick Attack."

Blake watched as the red dome appeared around Quilava without any time being lost for it to build the heat needed for the attack. Quilava rushed forward using its newly developed speed, ramming itself into one of the Vileplume's, knocking out the Pokemon with that one hit.

"Nice." Blake said, impressed it Quilava's power.

"Magmar, use Flame Thrower." Shari said, watching her Magmar breath out a stream of flames onto two Vileplumes, wiping out the rest of their health.

"Arcanine, Heat Wave." Grace said, watch Arcanine release a cloud of distorted air from its mouth that surround a Vileplume, taking out the Grass type Pokemon. "Hah, I think that was last one."

"We did it." Jackie said, collapsing to the ground along with her Swellow.

"Everyday, there's a horde of trained Pokemon attacking this town. Do you think it has to do with Team Rocket?" Grace asked, returning her exhausted Arcanine to its Poke-ball.

"Has to be. I can't think of any other reason." Brad said.

**Azalea Town**

**East Side**

On the east of side town in a small house that was secluded from the rest of town, two Team Rocket Grunts kicked open the door of the house, surprising a short man known as the Charcoal Maker and his son.

"Old man, give us the Charcoal!" One of them shouted, barging into the house.

"Who do you think you are? You can't barge into my house like that, gah!" The man approached them shouting only to receive a left hook to his face, knocking him off his feet.

"We heard you make Charcoal and we want it." One Grunt said, grabbing his son by the collar of his shirt. "Or else your boy here is going to meet with a sour end."

"No!" The Charcoal Maker shouted, rising to his feet, rushing toward the grunt who held his son. Before he even got close, the other grunt was in his path, socking him in the gut once causing him top hunch over in pain.

"Dad!" The boy shouted, struggling for freedom.

The grunt kicked the Charcoal Maker, pushing him backward into the table that was behind him. The other grunt holding his son released an Ekans from its Poke-ball, ordering it to coil itself around the boy. The Ekans did as it was told, beginning to squeeze the boy, causing him to scream in pain.

"Hurry now, or that screaming will stop with an unpleasant sound." One of them said tauntingly.

"Fine, just let him go." The Charcoal Maker said through grit teeth.

"Charcoal first." The grunt said, getting a glare from the Charcoal Maker. He then rose to his feet, walking over to the locked box resting on the shelf in the corner of the room. Inside the box was black object littered with small cracks that was shaped like a cylinder.

"Here." He said, handing the grunt the Charcoal. "Now let my son go."

"Alright. Let him go." The grunt said to his Ekans who released its hold on the boy, dropping him to the floor. The grunt returned Ekans to its Poke-ball before the two of them walked over to the table that was covered in items that Charcoal Maker uses for his job, and flipped it over.

All his work went flying to the floor while the table crashed into the shelf that was against the wall, causing it to tip forward, falling to the ground.

"What are you doing!" The Charcoal Maker shouted, punching the nearest Grunt across the face, busting his lower lip.

"You piece of trash." The grunt said after her checking his lower lip. The Charcoal Maker received a hard punch to his face, sending him to the floor where the both the grunts began to kick and stomp on his torso. The Grunt the Charcoal Maker had punched continued to kick him even after he fell unconscious before deciding to tear apart the house before they left.

"Hey, that's enough. We should report back to Alan." The second Grunt said, looking around the small house that looked like a Rhydon had ran through it.

"This is what happens when you mess with Team Rocket." The first Grunt said, kicking the boy who lay on the floor clutching his right shoulder.

**4/24/0046/Night**

**Azalea Town**

Blake casually strolled along the dirt pathway that led out of Azalea Town, planning to sleep outside tonight when a small pathway in between the trees to his left got his attention. Blake followed the path that led up to an average house that was hidden in the forest.

Normally Blake would have gone on his way, but the kicked in door on the house peaked his curiosity. Blake entered the torn up house, finding a boy seated on a table by himself. The living room had been trashed, in fact the whole house looked bad.

"Hello?" Blake said, getting the boy's attention. The boy looked at Blake for a moment, remaining completely still, his eyes completely void.

"Don't worry Dad, I'll keep you going until tomorrow morning, then I'll take you to the doctor in Azalea Town!" Jerry shouted, barging into the living with a bucket of water and a roll of bandages.

Blake walked in, watching Jerry place a wet rag on top his father's forehead.

"Where does it hurt Dad?" He asked.

"My…My entire left side hurts so much." The Charcoal Maker replied softly.

"Jerry, what's going on?" Blake asked, shutting off his PokePod.

"Blake." He said nervously, unraveling the bandages.

"What's going on?" Blake asked, kneeling down next him as he dropped the bandages.

"Team Rocket, they attacked my Dad and little Bro and took the Charcoal." Jerry said, leaving Blake shocked. "My brother's shoulder is out of whack and I don't know if my Dad can pull through to tomorrow but I can't move him by myself."

'So those Pokemon were only a distraction!' Blake exclaimed mentally, realizing that every time they were battling those Pokemon, Team Rocket Grunts must've been searching the town.

Jerry pounded the ground with his fists angrily.

"If only I had stayed back today, I could've been here to beat the crap out of those Team Rocket guys." He said bitterly.

"Come on." Blake said, taking the rag off the Charcoal Maker's head. Jerry looked up at Blake who was lifting up the Charcoal Maker by the legs. "We have to get him to the doctor."

"…Thanks man!" Jerry shouted, pulling Blake into yet another hug. "Little Bro, lets go! Don't worry Dad, we'll get you fixed up."

Blake and Jerry took off, Blake holding the Charcoal Maker by the legs while Jerry held him up by the torso, trying to minimize the amount of movement his chest area would move while they were moving, Jerry's little brother following behind them.

**Azalea Town**

Blake pounded on the door of the town's Doctor who used his house as an office since the town's population didn't require anything big. After at least thirty seconds, Blake began to hit the door again. The door knob turned and the door opened up revealing a tall man with a robe on.

"Doctor, you have to help us!" Jerry said, pushing Blake into the house with his Dad. "Please check out my Dad and brother."

* * *

><p>"Do you mind explained what happened to him for me?" The Doctor asked, stepping out his bedroom where he had put the Charcoal Maker for him to rest.<p>

"I don't know. I came home from Ilex Forest about an hour ago to find the house trashed and Dad and Steve hurt." Jerry explained. "And can you give Steve a check up too? He told me that Team Rocket attacked him with an Ekans."

"Come here little one, let me check you out." The Doctor said, inviting Steve, Jerry's little brother' to come sit by him. "So tell me what happened."

"Dad was working like he normally does. Then they broke in through the door and attacked him. One of them took me and had a Ekans wrap me up unless Dad gave them the Charcoal so he did. After that they let go of me and then flipped over his work table which made him really mad. He punched one of them but then they double teamed him and tore apart the house." Steve explained as the Doctor checked his shoulder. "They finally left after kicking me in my stomach."

"It's a good thing you brought him here tonight, three of his ribs are broken and if you waited, one of them would've punctured his lung." The Doctor explained.

"So is he going to be alright?" Jerry asked.

"Under my care? No." The Doctor said. "I sent a call to Goldenrod City from a team to come check him tomorrow. The most I can do by myself is keep him well until then. All I can ask is why Team Rocket would attack him for the Charcoal. I know it's a rare item but beating someone just seems out of context."

"I don't know." Jerry said before looking at Blake who was silent the whole time. "Thanks for the help Blake. I wouldn't have gotten him here in time without you."

"Oh…yeah. No problem." Blake said, getting up from his seat, beginning to walk toward the exit before stopping. "How's the kid Doctor?"

"He should be fine. His shoulder just has a bad sprain from the pressure that was on it." The Doctor said to Blake.

"Thanks." Blake said, exiting his house.

Outside, Blake quietly walked through town before his anger finally took over. Without any warning, Blake smashed his left fist into the wall of a building, a surge of pain running from his knuckles to his wrist.

"Team Rocket…" Blake hissed, heading toward the northern side of Azalea Town.

**4/25/0046/Morning**

**Azalea Town Park**

The Committee members met up once again, waiting for the next attack as well as Blake who still hadn't shown up.

"Where do think the attack is going to come from today?" Rachel asked.

"I have no idea." Shari responded, looking up at th blue skies.

"We'll fan out like we normally do and call each other if we see anything." Brad said, his hands in his pockets before everyone turned to see Blake walking toward the group, the glove on his left hand missing, being replaced by some white bandages that didn't restirct his finger movements. Blake looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep last night, but no one but Brad had the nerve to question him with the expression he was currently wearing.

Even though it was late, Timmy's mother stumbled onto Blake last night when she was throwing out her garbage. Blake knew better than to get angry at people so he released stress on inamiate objects, but that proved to be the wrong answer last night when Timmy's mother found him in an alleyway with a bloody, busted left hand.

"Nothing is going to happen today." Blake stated, dropping himself down on the bench the group was standing in front of.

"What? How do you know?" Brad asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Team Rocket already got what they were looking for." Blake began. "Last night…I found a family that had been attacked by Team Rocket yesterday. Their house was destroyed and an item called the Charcoal was taken from them."

"Are you sure they won't come today?" Shari asked.

"Guaranteed. But we can stay for the day and make sure." Blake offered, leaning back in his chair.

"Yeah, let's do that just to be sure." Brad said.

**4/25/0046/Evening**

**Gateway to Ilex Forest**

Like Blake had said, there was no attack meaning what he said was right, Team Rocket succeeded even though the the Committee was guarding the town. Now, Blake, Grace and Shari were headed for Goldenrod City which was through Ilex Forest which takes roughly four days if you go at a normal pace.

"See you guys!" Shari shouted, waving to the Committee members as they enter the building that acted as the only entrance and exit to Ilex Forest for Azalea Town to prevent wild Pokemon from getting into the town.

"So you guys plan to get there to in time for the weekly matches?" Shari asked as they walked through the gate, heading for the door at the other end that would give them access to Ilex Forest.

"Yeah. I still haven't had four matches for the Rookie Kings. I have to start now." Blake said.

"And my next match will give me the chance to move up the SS-Class." Grace said as Blake opened the door.

All of them looked at the dense forest around them, tall trees raising fifty feet into the air. The canopy is so thick that it's blocking out daylight, making it seem dark even though it was day time still. There was a clear pathway for them to follow through, but come night time it would get even darker than it already was and they would have to stop moving.

"Blake, you go first." Shari said, pushing him out into the forest. Blake glanced over his shouler at her before continuing into the forest, leaving the two of them behind.

Grace followed after Blake, realizing that Blake would disappear into the forest if she didn't keep up with him now.

"Hoothoot!" A Hoothoot said from the trees above as the bushes near the door rustled.

"Hey guys. Don't forget about your beloved Shari!" She said, chasing after them.

**4/26/0046/Night**

**Center of Ilex Forest**

"Kirlia, Confusion." Blake said, watching the Psychic type blow away two Oddish and a Paras using yet another form of the attack, this time waving its hand from left to right, creating a ripple in the air the rushed toward the three Pokemon, finishing them off in one hit.

"Blake, don't you think you've battled enough?" Shari asked, forcefully dragging him along to make sure he or his Pokemon didn't pick anymore battles.

"I have to be ready for Rookie Kings." He said, breaking loose from her grip before returning Kirlia to its Poke-ball.

"Why is that tournament so important? It's just a bunch of battles between small fries." Shari said, getting a dark look from Blake.

"It's also the quickest route to the IBF Tourney." Blake said, surprising Grace.

"You want to enter the IBF Tourney?" Grace asked.

"If I can become a B-Class trainer by the cut off date, I'll be entering." Blake said, feeling a small shock on his right wrist.

"So you're going to skip right through Johto and head up to the IBF?" Shari asked.

"I plan to take over the IBF and become the champion." Blake clarified as the path way widened out, a small wooden structure standing in the center of the pathway. As Blake neared it, he bumped into an unseen wall as Grace and Shari continued along as though nothing was in their way.

Blake took another step forward, outstretching his arm. His hand felt a solid wall standing in his way, blocking the entire pathway. Shari turned around, noticing that Blake had been left behind, but she couldn't help but snicker at the performance Blake was putting on as he tried to find away around the wall.

"Nice mime act Blake, now come on." She said, motioning for him to come along.

"I'm trying. There's something blocking my way." Blake said back, attempting to push the wall and see if it would move.

"I don't see anything. Do you Grace?" Shari asked, turning the girl who shook her head. "Quit faking Blake and come on, we have to find a place to sleep."

Blake felt uneasy as he pushed against the wall, once again feeling the zap on his wrist when a blinding light appeared above him, getting his attention. Grace and Shari joined Blake in looking up, but they saw nothing.

"Blake?" Grace said, approaching him. Grace watched as Blake shut his eyes, his body beginning to lean back.

A thud was only reply she got in return.

* * *

><p><strong>Just in case anyone was wondering, the Battle Circuit is comprised of many smaller Circuits that make it up as a whole. There's the Regional Circuit, the Regular Circuit, the IBF (Inter-regional Battle Federation) Circuit and the World Circuit.<strong>

**Out of those four listed, the Regular Circuit exists in three of them as a way for a faster rise through the ranks, but the risks of battling in this Circuit is also greater.**

**Anyway, R & R**


	10. The S Class Battle

**Revised.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

"_Blake-kun!" A feminine voice called out, a silhouette dressed in a bright pink kimono moving through the thick forest in search of the small boy she had lost track of a few minutes ago._

_"Yumi-nee-chan! I'm over here!" A small, childish voice shouted, giving away his location. The female turned around, beginning to move in the direction of the voice. After a quick power walk, the girl entered a small clearing in the woods, finding a small boy with spiky black hair dressed in a silver kimono._

_He was small in comparison to the wooden structure he stood in front of, staring at the Ilex Forest Shrine. Seated on top the Shrine was a small purple, dragon type Pokemon that._

_"Blake-kun. I've told you not to run off like that at least a hundred times." She said, approaching the boy._

_"Sorry, Ryuu-chan ran off this way and I chased after him. I found him on top of this thing." The boy explained sheepishly before pointing at the Shrine. "What is it Yumi-nee-chan?"_

_"This is the Ilex Forest Shrine. It was built to honor the Forest Guardian during the Old Days." The girl explained as she lifted the small purple Pokemon off of the Shrine, placing it in the arms of the boy who happily accepted it._

_"Who's the Forest Guardian?"_

_"A Legendary Pokemon that was said to be living in this forest, protecting the Pokemon that lived here during the Dark Days. In a way, this Shrine has a lot to do with you." She continued, glancing down at the small child beside her, giving him a soft smile._

_"It does?"_

_"Yes. When you're older we'll explain everything to you. But for now, just spend time with Ryuu and stay healthy." She said, getting a wide smile from the boy who gave her an energetic nod._

"_Yes Yumi-nee-chan!"_

_"Come on, let's get back to Ecruteak City."_

_"Do you think Nozomi will make some more of that fried fish?" He asked as the girl led him along the pathway by the hand._

_"You really liked her fish didn't you?" She asked in return, getting a nod in return. "I'm sure she will."_

_"Hooray!" He cheered before the cheerful scene shattered with a huge crack of thunder and a flash of light._

**4/27/0046/Morning**

**Ilex Forest**

Blake awoke with a fright, his upper body jerking upward which result in his forehead meeting with Shari's. Shari yelled in pain, holding her forehead while Blake took a moment to calm his breathing, unaffected by the pain on his head.

"It's about time you woke up." Grace commented, zipping up her backpack.

"W-Where are we?" Blake asked in a rather strained voice, looking at his surroundings through his blurry vision.

"Ilex Forest." Grace answered calmly. Blake took a few moments to clear up his vision by blinking and rubbing his eyes before the thick canopy above became clear and defined in his eyes.

'That dream again.' Blake noted as the memories of the day before returned to him.

"Are you feeling better now sleepy head?" Shari asked as she held her head, receiving a nod from Blake along with a rather unconcerned apology for bumping heads.

Blake rose to his feet, taking a few breaths of air, taking in the scent of the forest before he let out a deep sigh.

"Come on, Goldenrod City is waiting for us." Blake said, grabbing his backpack from the ground which he slung over his shoulders.

"To Goldenrod City!" Shari shouted, pointing north, the direction they would be traveling in.

**Route 34-Afternoon**

The group had finally gotten out of Ilex Forest and in record time too. Getting used to daylight was first thing, but the second thing was the hundreds of trainers that filled up this Route battling each other since the Goldenrod Battle Dome would be hosting matches tomorrow night. Everyone was preparing to face off with their next Battle Circuit opponent.

Unlike the route he had taken traveling from Violet City to Azalea Town, Blake took note of the large road that would lead them directly to Goldenrod City. Roads were rather rare across the Pokemon world as many people still traveled on foot. The luxury of having a car was something only successful people could enjoy, commoners would have to settle with remaining physically fit by riding a bicycle everywhere or walking.

"Whoa, so many people to battle." Blake said, as the detached Larvitar's Poke-ball from his belt.

"Sorry Blake, but if you plan to get a match for tomorrow night, you'll need to get to Goldenrod today." Shari said, pulling him along by his jacket collar.

**Goldenrod City-Night**

Goldenrod City, the mecha of the Johto Region. The city itself held almost a quarter of the the population of the Johto Region and it was also one of the largest tourist attractions for Johto. Tall skyscrapers stood at the center of the town, the buildings beginning to decrease in height as you moved farther away from the heard of the city. During the day the city was quite a sight to behold, but once the sun went down was when Goldenrod City showed its true colors.

Neon lights decorated the streets, advertising restaurants, clubs, any kind of hangout spot to unwind after a hard day of work. It was gorgeous sight. On the west side of town was a huge seaport, the second largest one in Johto. This seaport became the sight where foreign trainers were often challenged by the trainers of Goldenrod City in a feeble attempt to make sure that all foreign trainers understood that this was their stomping ground.

Resting comfortable on the east side of the city was largest Battle Dome belonging to the Johto Circuit that possessed a slight castle theme to it with the four keeps it had at the edges of the building. This Battle Dome could fit over ten thousand people in it, more than any other Dome in Johto, it was also the location of the Rookie Kings. It was also recognized as one of the two Battle Domes that was often used for special competitions because the four small Domes it had branching off from the Main Dome. The only other Battle Dome to have something like this was the Blackthorn Battle Dome.

**Battle Dome**

Grace and Blake burst through the front doors, surprising the Nurse Joy who had been seated behind her desk, quietly reading a magazine to pass time before closing.

"Good evening, can I help you?" She asked politely, shutting the magazine to focus on the two trainers that had approached her desk. Blake and Grace were clearly struggling to speak now that they had completed their sprint through Goldenrod City, trying to calm their breathing.

"A match." Blake muttered in between gasps for air.

"Okay, I'll need your name and license." She replied, peering over the counter the two of them. Blake pulled out his Pokedex while Grace fished a small plastic card out of her backpack.

Nurse Joy entered their names, waiting to see where the two of them would be placed in the match order for tomorrow.

"Alright, Blake you will be match number six. Grace...you're the main event." She exclaimed the last part before she did a double take, comparing the picture of Grace on her computer to the actual Grace. 'No way, its Grace!'

"Thank you." Grace said quietly as she and Blake accepted the items that had given to Nurse Joy earlier.

"Good luck tomorrow night." Nurse Joy said, waving to the two of them until they left the Battle Dome, leaving Nurse Joy to give a sigh of defeat. "What a day to forget my autograph board back at home."

**4/28/0046/Night**

**Goldenrod Battle Dome**

Blake quietly walked out into the stadium, looking up at the stands that were packed out once again for the main event of the night. The only thing that could bring in such a huge crowd beside a Title match was a battle at the IBF level or higher.

The fans were already loud. Just the anticipation of the main event made them cheer for anyone so long as the battle was ended in a decisive manner.

"And here comes match number six. In the blue box, we have an R-Class trainer who goes by the name of Blake with a one hundred percent win ratio with one match!" The announcer declared, waiting a moment to see if the crowd to catch on the fact that Blake only had one match. "In the red box, we have another R-Class trainer named Ronald with a record of nine matches, six wins and three losses."

"Ronald, we had better see you in the Rookie Kings!" Some on the fans called out to the other teen in the red box. Blake could only conclude that Ronald must have been battling in Goldenrod City the entire time for the fans to know his name.

"Trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted as Blake and Ronald made their choices. Both of them threw their Poke-ball's onto the field which rushed toward each other, sparks flying out in all directions on contact. Both of the sphere's bounced back from each other, opening up to release a Poliwhirl on Blake's side of the field and a Machop for Ronald.

"Battle begin!" The ref shouted, silencing the crowd completely.

"Poliwhirl, use Water Gun!" Blake called out, starting the battle with the initial attack.

"Poli-whirl!" It shouted, firing a strong jet of water at Machop from the center of the swirl on its stomach. Machop stood in place, crossing its arms in front of its torso to block the attack. But even with the strong guard it had created for itself, Machop still found itself being pressed backward by the strength of the Water Gun.

"Machop, move out of the path of that Water Gun and then attack with Karate Chop!" Ronald shouted, watching as the small fighting type Pokemon jumped to the side to step out of the blast of Water Gun before it began to sprint toward Poliwhirl while raising its left arm.

"Poliwhirl, engage with Pound!" Blake called out. Poliwhirl ended its usage of Water Gun and raised its to arms into an orthodox stance, waiting for Machop's first strike. Noticing that Poliwhirl was waiting for it to attack as it approached, Machop changed its attacking angle, using a horizontal chop as opposed to the vertical one it would normally use.

Poliwhirl blocked the attack with its forearm, but it was knocked off balance by the raw power Machop possessed in its small body, leaving it open for Machop to follow up.

"Low Kick!" Ronald shouted as he spotted the opening for them to land a strong hit. Machop dropped down low and preformed a sweep kick, easily removing Poliwhirl's legs from under it. On instinct alone, Poliwhirl extended one arm as it fell, using that to stop its fall before it transitioned into a cartwheel to put itself back on its feet, no harm done from the attack.

"Get it Poliwhirl!" Blake hollered. Poliwhirl lashed out Machop with three harsh blows to its body, leaving the small fighting type to clutch where it had been hit before Poliwhirl sent it stumbling backward from a solid hit to the head.

"Machop!" Ronald exclaimed as Machop reoriented itself by shaking its head before glaring at Poliwhirl. "Nice, try Karate Chop again!"

"Poliwhirl, catch Machop's wrist when it attacks." Blake said, watching as Machop approached Poliwhirl a second time with Karate Chop, although this time it used a vertical chop as its first attack. Grabbing Machop's wrist, Poliwhirl successfully stopped its attack, but as Blake observed the two, he could see that their arms were trembling. Machop was trying to force its attack in anyway. "Poliwhirl, attack with Water Gun!"

If Machop was physically stronger than Poliwhirl, then they would use Poliwhirl's advantages as best they could. Machop had no time to react as Poliwhirl unleashed a close range Water Gun that sent it flying away. The fighting type Pokemon rolled as it hit the ground in a desperate attempt to reduce the damage that was done from the attack.

"Finish it with Bubblebeam!" Blake commanded while Machop was struggling to return to its feet.

"Poliwhirl!" It shouted before it fired a horde of sparkling bubbles at Machop, the continuous attack wiping out the remainder of Machop's help which effectively ended the battle.

"Nice Poliwhirl." Blake said to the water type Pokemon as it hit its chest repeatedly while the ref checked out Machop who hadn't moved at all after taking the Bubblebeam attack.

"Poliwhirl is unable to battle, the winner is Poliwhirl and Blake." The ref said, raising Blake's flag as a sign that he had won the match. The crowd began to cheer, watching as Blake motioned for Poliwhirl to follow him out of the stadium, one arm raised in victory.

* * *

><p>"Well you've been waiting for it folks and now its finally going to start. Tonight's main event!" The announcer declared, starting a chant for Grace. "She came as a last minute entry, but Grace, one of out trainers in the IBF, has returned to Johto after battling in both Kanto and Hoenn."<p>

The chant of Grace's name only increased in volume as the dark haired girl into the stadium, briskly walking to the red box as she was introduced. She had a huge following in Johto as many people recognized her as the rival of the Johto Champion Meegan J. Once she was in her spot, Grace began to shuffle from one foot to the other, struggling to decide what Pokemon would be best to use for this important.

"Tonight is Grace's battle to become an SS-Class trainer with a prefect record of seventy nine matches and seventy nine wins. But her opponent is no pushover. Tonight we'll be hosting another trainer that in the IBF, a girl from Hoenn that goes by the name of Kelly. Her record consists of sixty seven matches, sixty four wins and three losses. This is sure to be an interesting match!"

The ref rose his flags, the signal for both trainers to prepare for the Clash.

"This will be a three on three Pokemon battle. Trainers, are you ready?" The ref asked, receiving a nod from both of the girls as the selected a Poke-ball. "Clash!"

Blake stood alone near the bottom level of the stands which was the closest to the battle, staring intently at Grace. There was a lot he could learn from her, especially in a Clash. Grace her Poke-ball a simply toss on to the field, although Blake could clearly see that she had placed a fast counterclockwise spin on it as it flew toward Kelly's who had thrown a fast, straight forward pitch.

Just before the two spheres made contact Grace's swerved out of the path of Kelly's to avoid taking a direct hit before slamming it into the side which effectively turned this into a one sided Clash. Kelly bit her bottom lip as Poke-ball was sent flying, proof that she had clearly lost in this Clash as her now damaged Beedrill took shape on the field.

On Grace's end of the field stood a proud Electabuzz who charged up a bit of electricity in between the two antenna on its head to show that it was read to battle.

"Battle begin!" The ref shouted, dropping the flags to to start the match.

Blake shrugged. This was an easy finish if Grace at the type advantage.

"Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt!" Grace shouted. Electabuzz gave a shout as it charged up a large quantity of electricity in its body before it fired it straight up into the air.

"Beedrill, dodge it!" Kelly ordered as the bolt of electricity made an arc in the air, turning down toward Beedrill. The bug type Pokemon remained silent, unable to move from all of the damage it had sustained during the Clash. Beedrill disappeared inside of the yellow light produced Thunderbolt when it, the powerful attack wiping out the rest of its health.

Beedrill dropped to he ground, its eyes replaced with black swirls that matched the color of its charred body.

"Beedrill is unable to battle. Match continue!" The ref declared, getting a huge uproar from the crowd at how quickly Grace had knocked out the first Pokemon. Kelly quietly returned Beedrill to its Poke-ball, thanking the Pokemon for its effort before selecting her next Pokemon.

"Vigeroth, let's go!" Kelly shouted, releasing her second Pokemon onto the field. "Start off with Slash."

"Electabuzz, dodge it and use Focus Blast!" Grace ordered as Vigeroth rushed across the field, closing in on Electabuzz. The normal type began to swing its arms vigorously at Electabuzz, aiming to tear it apart with its sharps claws, but with Electabuzz's high speed, it continued to evade the attacks with ease.

After a few moments, Electabuzz jumped backward while clapping its hands together to created faded white orb with a blue core for its Focus Blast attack.

"Vigeroth, don't give it time to charge that move!" Kelly shouted, ordering Vigeroth to continue its high paced assault. Despite Vigeroth's efforts, Electabuzz continued to dodge its attacks while charging to the Focus Blast until the attack was fully prepared. Taking the orb in one hand, Electabuzz thrusted it forward at Vigeroth, aiming for its face. But Vigeroth ducked beneath attack.

Taking this opportunity, Vigeroth threw its arm upward, landing a huge upward Slash attack on Electabuzz's torso which forced the electric type to stumble back from the unexpected hit as the Focus Blast collapsed from its loss of concentration.

"Alright Vigeroth! Now follow up with Brick Break!" Kelly shouted now that Electabuzz was completely open for a finisher."

"Electabuzz, use Thunder Wave!" Grace said quickly as Vigeroth dashed in at her Pokemon.

Electabuzz launched a blind Thunder Wave out in all directions, sending the electrical current through the ground. As Vigeroth stepped into the range of the Thunder Wave, and electrical cage rose up from the ground it, halting the normal type in its path.

"Vigeroth, move!" Kelly shouted, but it was too late. The electrical cage closed up around Vigeroth, placing a paralysis on it.

"Electabuzz, attack with Fire Punch!" Grace shouted, preforming he punching motion herself as Electabuzz began to move toward Electabuzz who was unable to move at this moment. Electabuzz raised its right hand which became engulfed in flames before it hammered away Vigeroth with to dwindle its health down to nothing before Electabuzz when in for the finisher. "Now finish it with Focus Blast!"

"Come on Vigeroth, dodge it!" Kelly hollered at her Pokemon, hoping that it would willfully break free of the paralysis for a few moments as Electabuzz charged up the sphere once more. Electabuzz took the Focus Blast in one hand once again which it proceeded to slam into Vigeroth's torso. There was a moment of silence followed by a flash of light before Vigeroth could be seen sailing through the air.

The normal type Pokemon hit the ground rolled a few times before it came a stop, revealing that a pair of black swirls had taken the place of its eyes.

"Vigeroth is unable to battle." The ref said after checking the Pokemon, the crowd cheering for another victory for Grace. "Match continue!"

"Just as the predictions said folks, Grace has gone this far into the battle with out losing a single Pokemon. Let's see if she can continue her winning streak with Electabuzz." The announcer said as Kelly returned Vigeroth before making her final choice.

"Kadabra, you're my last hope so let's do this!" She said, throwing the Poke-ball into the air to release her final Pokemon.

"Kadabra." It said, pointing toward Electabuzz with its spoon.

'Let's go one full offense mode now!' Grace said to herself. "Electabuzz, start of with Fire Punch!"

"Kadabra, counter with Psycho Cut." Kelly ordered as Electabuzz closed in on Kadabra, reeling its fist back throw a haymaker at Kadabra. Kadabra quickly swung its small spoon in a horizontal arc in front of it, cutting through the air with ease which created a distorted space in front of it.

Electabuzz threw it hand into the blurry area, its hand disappearing in the hazy space. Then combination of the two attacks exploded, creating a thick cloud of black smoke around the two Pokemon. The cloud billowed for a few moments before Kadabra emerged from the smoke, taking flight about the field using psychic energy.

"Kadabra, use Psychic!" Kelly shouted when she could see that her partner had taken no damage from the explosion. The black smoke was parted immediately by Kadabra who's eyes had become a dark blue. In the center of the smoke, Electabuzz could be seen by the fans in the highest seats being forced down to the ground from the pressure of the Psychic attack.

Grace still couldn't see what was taking place, but she could assume that Kadabra was targeting Electabuzz with its Psychic.

"Electabuzz, use Thunderbolt!" Grace shouted, the command reaching her partner who began to charge up electricity in its antenna.

"Kadabra, use Psycho Cut again!" Kelly shouted, watching as her psychic type Pokemon swung its spoon in a vertical arc this time. But unlike the first time, a pink crescent was fired from the distorted space don toward Electabuzz.

Electabuzz, on the other hand, fired one single large bolt of electricity up toward Kadabra which hit the Psycho Cut, stopping it in its tracks.

"Full power!" Grace shouted, throwing her fist into the air, a smile creeping onto her face.

"Be-Be!" Electabuzz shouted, increasing the power of its attack which in turn increased the size of the Thunderbolt, blowing away what remained of the smoke.

'Damn, if that Thunderbolt hits it'll finish off Kadabra, but the only other option to is to let go of Electabuzz and I don't like that idea either.' Kelly said to herself, trying to make a quick decision. The sight of the Psycho Cut being pushed backward toward Electabuzz hastened her decision. "Kadabra, let go of Electabuzz and use Psychic to divert the Thunderbolt!"

The movements were quick. Kadabra released its hold on Electabuzz just as the Psycho Cut broke down, giving the Thunderbolt clear passage toward Kadabra. Kadabra then focused on the approaching Thunderbolt, knocking the attack to its left just in time to avoid taking in kind of damage.

"Electabuzz, Fire Punch!" Grace called out.

Kadabra let out a sigh of relief once it had successfully diverted the Thunderbolt attack, only for it to draw a sharp breath when it heard a shout from its trainer Kelly. Electabuzz was in mid air next to its, its fist in the position to land a powerful hook. Kadabra only had a moment to look at the attack out of the corner of its eyes before Electabuzz drilled its fist into Kadabra's jaw.

The psychic type Pokemon was sent sailing to the ground where it rolled a few times, losing its spoon in the process, but it still wasn't finished yet. Slowly trying to return to its feet, Kadabra showed will that earned quite a few cheers from the fans before Grace decided that it was time to end it.

"Electabuzz, end this with Thunderbolt!"

Electabuzz unleashed a volley of electrical bolts that flew out in all directions before heading toward its intended target. The weakened Kadabra.

"Kadabra, look out!" Kelly shouted.

"Kadabra!" The Pokemon roared as it was hit by numerous electrical blasts that wiped out what remained of its health. Kadabra finally collapsed from this attack, unable to continue battling from the massive hits it had taken.

"Kadabra is unable to battle. The winner is Grace in the red box!" The ref shouted, raising the red flag. The spectators burst into cheers for Grace's victory, shouting for her to continue her IBF conquest and head straight for the World stage.

Kelly rushed onto the field to check on her downed Pokemon, gently lifting up its torso to see how it was doing. "Even though you lost Kadabra, you did an amazing job."

Kelly returned her Pokemon to its Poke-ball, giving Grace a wave before she left the stadium.

"There it is people. Little Miss Grace has won yet another match, becoming an SS-Class trainer. Will she make the top of the IBF?" The announcer asked, looking down at the field where Grace was quickly approached by a news reporter that would be putting together a story to improve Grace's popularity.

"So Grace, after tonight's performance, everyone here can see that you could definitely aim to become a World class trainer. What's your next goal at this very moment?" The reporter asked, silencing the loud crowd.

"Well right now, I'm planning on entering the IBF Tourney. From there I was going to win the whole thing and go on to take the IBF Title!" She said into the microphone with great enthusiasm causing an uproar in the stands.

"And what are your thoughts on the Johto Champion Meejan J. In her most recent match she declared that she will be heading up to the IBF as well."

"Meejan J. She's a strong trainer, I'll give her that. I can tell she's going to enter the IBF Tourney as well just to battle against me. During that tournament we'll settle the score to see who's the real Johto representative. But until then, I'll be leading Johto back to the World stage!" Grace replied, taking the microphone from the reporter as she was speaking.

"Thank you Grace. Congratulations on becoming an SS-Class trainer and we all wish you luck in the IBF Tourney. All of Johto will be backing you up." The reporter said as he took back his microphone from Grace who only gave him a grin.

"Isn't that right folks!" The announcer shouted from his box, getting shouts of agreement from the crowd.

Grace looked up at the fans that were screaming her name, giving them a V for victory along with her Electabuzz.

* * *

><p>Grace found Blake waiting in the lobby with his headphones. As she returned to the corridors of the Battle Dome, Grace was hounded by dozens of people that wanted to get autographs and pictures, so it took her quite some time to get back to the lobby.<p>

"What was all that at the end of the battle?" Blake asked as he removed his headphones, wondering what could cause her personality to change so drastically.

"Sorry. Whenever I have a good battle I start acting like this until my nerves cool down." She replied with a nervous laugh. Blake took a moment to think about before he shrugged. He simply concluded that Grace was weird.

"Let's get going." Blake said as he rose up from his seat. He could really use some sleep right now.

"I hope you two aren't going on a date. We've got work to do." The one voice Blake didn't want to hear called out to him. Turning around, the duo found Shari standing behind them with her hands on her hips.

"What ever it is, can we do it tomorrow?" Blake asked as Shari latched onto both of their arms, beginning to drag them out of the Battle Dome.

"Nope!" She said a little too cheerfully. Blake glared at her, although she remained unaffected by his menacing stare. "Team Rocket doesn't work during the day."

* * *

><p><strong>Please Review. What did you think of Grace and Blake's battle? Give me any thoughts on it please.<strong>

**And I'd also like to give thanks to Radioblue2 for the first three Pokemon Team. I'm actually glad I got one so early because that meant this senario wasn't set up by me for Grace to win, I actually had to think about it. The Rookie Kings Tournament and the IBF Tourney I'll needing a few more teams if anyone has any they'd like to give.**

**IBF - Inter-Regional Battle Federation**


	11. Inside Team Rocket

Chapter 11

**Goldenrod City Underground**

**Team Rocket Recruitment Center**

Anger couldn't begin to describe what Blake was directing at Shari as they quietly moved down the barely lit tunnel. A large steel steel door was waiting for them at the bottom of the staircase.

Shari could feel the malice rolling off of the teenage boy in waves, all of this being directed at her. The pressure was intense, but she put up with it because this would also give him the perfect image for joining Team Rocket.

Grace was a completely different story. Her nerves were still shot from her recent match so her normally stoic expression was replaced by a cheerful teenage girl that refused to stop humming with how well her voice echoed in the tunnel. 'Come on Grace, hurry up on revert back to your normal self.'

"Here we are guys." Shari stated, motioning to the door that towered over them. She knocked on the door six times, before kicking it, each impact sounding throughout the tunnel.

Blake gave off a low growl while stuffing his hands in his pockets when the door opened, revealing two Team Rocket grunts. The two of them greeted Shari with a nod as she entered, followed by Grace. Blake was last, taking a moment to give both of the grunts a harsh glare before following Shari through the brick corridor.

* * *

><p>"Ah, so these are the new recruits you were telling me about 'Carol.'" The Team Rocket Executive said, observing Blake and Grace who were currently checking out their new surroundings.<p>

Even though Grace was popular throughout the Johto Region, Shari had taken some time to change her appearance to make sure none of the Team Rocket members recognized her.

Normally her hair down, stopping at her upper back with a her bangs covering her left eye, but Shari decided to pull all of it back into a pony tail before she tried to apply a little bit of make up onto the girl, which turned out to be much harder than Shari thought. Grace hated wearing make up, and she was more than willing to call out her Pokemon to prevent Shari from doing this.

"Yup, these are them." Shari replied, going under the name she put up for Team Rocket.

"Name?" The Executive asked, rummaging through his desk for a clipboard.

Shari panicked for about twenty seconds, realizing she had forgotten to give them names before they came. But she as incredibly thankful for the Executives disorganized desk which gave her time to think of a codename for the two of them to go under.

"So this is Luke, and that's Joy." Shari said, picking names that resembled their actual names to some extent.

"Are they any good?" He asked, looking at the two teenagers with a raised eyebrows.

"Plenty good. But they won't be sticking to the standard Pokemon Team Rocket uses so I'd like them on the Free Style Team with me." Shari said, informing him of her plan for the duo.

"I'll accept after I seem them in battle." The Executive answered with a smirk.

* * *

><p>Blake, Grace and the Team Rocket Executive stood inside an empty brick room with one window and one door, Blake preparing to battle a Grunt that was standing on the opposite side of the room.<p>

"Alright newbie, I'll tenderize you and your Pokemon so that you know just how good Team Rocket is." The Grunt said, releasing the Arbok that he would be using. Blake knew Kirlia had the type advantage and he had to yet to put the Pokemon in a serious battle so now was its time to shine.

"Kir." It said, matching the glare Arbok was giving it.

"Kirlia, use Shadow Sneak." Blake said, watching Kirlia's shadow extend toward Arbok, stopping once it had joined with the Snake Pokemon's shadow. From there, the shadow rose up creating a mirror image of Kirlia that rammed itself into the Snake Pokemon from behind.

"Arbok, get your head in the game and use Crunch on that little bugger." The Grunt shouted at his Arbok who was dazed for a few moments before it shook its head to regain its composure. From there Arbok lunged at Kirlia who still hadn't move, opening its mouth to revealing a pair of large fangs.

"Kirlia, Double Team." Blake ordered as Arbok neared the Psychic type Pokemon. Just a Arbok made contact with Kirlia, it disappeared, several images of the Pokemon appearing around Arbok in a semi circle. "Confusion."

Arbok looked at the Kirlia's, unsure of which one to attack as the eyes on all seven images turned blue, a distorted space forming in front of all of them. All seven pushed the area of condensed energy toward Arbok, six out of the seven phasing through the snake Pokemon while only one of them actually hit it, leaving Arbok confused.

"Arbok, I said to use Crunch!" The Grunt shouted as Arbok looked back at him before noticing its tail. Thinking it was Kirlia, Arbok bit down on its tail before yelling in pain. "Arbok!"

"Kirlia, use Confusion." Blake said as the six images disappeared. Kirlia's eyes turned blue again, a blue outline forming around Arbok, lifting it into the air.

"Bok?" Arbok looked around before it was thrown back at its trainer, its eyes replaced with swirls.

"Nice Kirlia." Blake said, returning the Pokemon to its Poke-ball.

Now it was Grace's turn. She was beginning to cool down, but the prospect of another battle reignited the overly pumped girl hidden inside the quiet novel writer.

"This snotty brat is what you wake me up for?" A female Grunt shouted as she was pushed into the room. Grace couldn't help but snicker at the fact that Blake's glare was immediately directed at the person who had just mention sleep. "Fine, I'll make this quick."

The female released a Golbat, still unfocused since she thought it was just some new recruit who needed to be straightened out.

"Milotic, use Blizzard." Grace said, releasing the Water Snake Pokemon from its Poke-ball.

"Mii!" The Water Snake Pokemon shouted as it swung its tail creating a huge gust of light blue wind that was littered with little sparkles of snow, hitting the Bat Pokemon dead on. The Bat Pokemon dropped to the floor, frozen in a block of ice, its eyes replaced with two black swirls since the super effective hit had taken out all its health.

"What!" The female grunt yelled, taking out another Poke-ball. "I demand a rematch!"

She released a Hypno this time, focusing solely on the battle.

"Hypno, use Headbutt!" She commanded, watching her Hypno charge head first at Milotic.

"Milotic, use Dragon Pulse." Grace said, planning on another quick finish. Milotic opened its mouth, releasing a reddish-brown orb of energy that seemed to unsteady since the core was spasming repeatedly as it flew toward Hypno.

Hypno charged straight into the attack, getting blown backward without even getting a chance to try and hold out against the attack. The Psychic type Pokemon slid across the floor, stopping in front the female Grunt who was now out of Pokemon she could use.

"Heh heh, easy." Grace said with a snicker, sticking her tougue out at the grunt which further angered her.

"Alright. The two of you passed the test so here is your uniform." The Executive said, handing each of them a uniform "Seeing as the two of you will be working under Shari, I'll notify her whenever all of you are needed. For now you can go to sleep in the Sleeping Chambers."

**Route 34-Midnight**

Blake silently walked along the seaside Route, every trainer gone and resting peacefully somewhere. Shari had told 'Luke' to sleep in the Sleeping Chambers, but 'Luke' had one reply to her orders.

"_To hell with that!" Blake shouted as he exited the room leaving Shari mouth a gap with the Executive laughing in the background. He did not plan on being any where near Team Rocket for an entire night._

Sleep is _precious_ to Blake. The one time of day his brain isn't working at a million miles per hour to create strategies for bad situations in battle, what moves would be the smartest to use against a certain Pokemon and so on, is when he's asleep.

Blake took another deep breath before looking up at the star filled skies.

**4/29/0046/Morning**

**Team Rocket Recruitment Center**

Grace sat in a wooden desk towards the front of the room, nine other people seated around her, all of them wearing the Team Rocket uniform with one open desk in the front of the room.

The Instructor had been taking roll call with Shari seated behind him in his desk when he called for 'Luke', getting no answer.

'Blake, where are you?' Grace asked herself, looking at the empty desk. Shari gave him the order to begin his lecture since it seemed like he was ready to wait for the last student.

"This is a week long crash course to test your physical conditioning, mental stability and battling ability to determine how useful you'll be to Team Rocket." The Instructor began. "We'll begin with an exam to test your knowledge of Pokemon and Geography of the Johto Re-"

Blake kicked opened the door of the classroom wearing the Team Rocket uniform minus the hat, a glaring at the class with his hands in his pockets.

"Excuse me. Who are you?" The Instructor asked.

"Your missing a student. Who else would I be?" Blake said, taking the only open seat in the class room.

"Well than mister...'Luke', pop quiz." The Instructor said with a smirk. "You're alone facing two trainers that have a Water type and a Grass type Pokemon. You only have one Pokemon that has a type disadvantage against one of the opponents, but you have any Pokemon at your disposal that fits those requirements."

Blake sighed inwardly.

"Easy, I would use a Kingdra." Blake responded..

"A Kingdra would easily be defeated by the Grass type Pokemon." The Instructor said quickly, failing to remember that Torterra isn't a Pure Pokemon.

"Kingdra is Water/Dragon type, it has a slight disadvantage against the Grass type but with its being part Dragon I could turn the tables on the Grass type and that almost any move the Water type could use against Kindra would be ineffective." Blake explained, getting a few nods of agreements.

"Alright then." The Instructor said, trying to sound offhand while Shari chuckled at how easily Blake created a solution to that battle.

"Since your last student is here, I'll take my leave Instructor." Shari said with a small smile at the Instructor's frustration.

"Yes Miss 'Carol.'" He said, standing up straight as she exited the room. Once the exam was passed out, Blake couldn't help but snort when he saw that the test was filled some of the easiest tactical problems he had seen in a while. Blake was first to finish and his test was perfect which only aggravated the Instructor even more. Blake was first to finish and his paper which received a perfect score, only aggravating the Instructor even more.

**Training Field-Route 35**

The small class now stood on a grassy field that was located just about a half mile from Goldenrod City going onto Route 35. Using the underground tunnels, the class had a light jog through the tunnel and out into the field where an obstacle course was waiting for them.

"Alright class. This will test your reflexes and physical ability to see if you're up to standard. Cross the finish line in the fastest time possible while crossing every obstacle. Starting with Mister Michael, we'll go down the list. The fastest time for finishing this course is six minutes, and forty three seconds." The Instructor said, raising the signal gun.

Blake watched as Michael, a rather skinny guy that was taller than him took off in a sprint from the starting line, heading toward the swinging logs. With great ease he slipped through all ten without getting touched by any of them.

The next obstacle was about one hundred wooden posts lined up with a few at the front that were lowered to give you the chance to cross the logs from on top. Michael easily conquered this as well, jumping down at the end to enter the maze.

The maze alone destroyed the quick time he was making, taking him seven minutes to find his way through before he could continue the course.

Next was a sand lot with barbed wire above the sand that you needed to crawl under in order to continue. Michael quickly preformed the task and rushed toward the final obstacle, a brick wall with one rope to climb over it.

Michael had a little trouble, but he still got the job done, getting over the wall and crossing the finish line.

"Ten minutes, twelve seconds. Not a bad time Michael." The Instructor said before calling out the next name on the list. The day went on, none of the others beating Micheal's time but coming close to it. After watching Grace come so close to beating Micheal's time, it was finally Blake's turn.

"Alright 'Luke'. The time to beat is ten minutes, twelve seconds." The Instructor said.

"Easy." Blake said, taking off in a dash when the he was given the signal to begin. Unlike the rest of the class who went around the logs, Blake wasted no time by going over and under the logs to keep moving when one of them was in his way.

Next came the wooden posts. Blake quickly went up the steps, getting to the top of the wooden posts where he raced across them, rushing toward the most time consuming obstacle, the maze, but Blake wasn't planning on going through it. Only four feet separated the wooden posts and the first wall of the maze, and with the extra height Blake had from being on top the posts, he knew he could make the jump to the top of the maze wall.

Everyone, including the Instructor was surprised to see 'Luke' leap from the wooden posts to the top of the maze wall, beginning to jump from wall to wall, crossing the maze in record time. From there Blake continued toward the sand box, getting through this obstacle in less than forty seconds which left the brick wall. In just a few seconds, Blake scaled the wall and jumped to the ground on the other side.

After Blake crossed the finished line, the Instructor looked down at the stop watch. Five minutes, fourteen seconds.

"Do it again and go through the maze this time." The Instructor said, pointing to the starting line which got a snort from Blake.

"I did exactly what you said. 'Cross the finish line in the fastest time possible while crossing every obstacle.'" Blake recited his words with a bored expression. "I could do it again, but I wonder what 'Miss Carol' would do if her protégé was being treated unfairly for _following _orders."

The Instructor took a step back, taking a nervous gulp before remembering there was an entire class watching.

"We'll talk about this at another time Mister 'Luke'." He said, regaining his composure. "Good job today class, report to the class room tomorrow at 0700."

Over the course of the next week, 'Luke' and 'Joy' would perform at the top of the class ranks, Grace managing to keep up the overly cherry attitude she had at the first day of class while Blake continued to torture the Instructor with loopholes in his wordings and answering outrageous questions.

_"'Luke', what you do if you facing a fully evolved Dragon type Pokemon with only a Magikarp that has an Everstone?" The Instructor asked, coming up with a scenario that was deemed impossible to win._

_"Easy, I'd leave." Blake replied, allowing the Instructor to claim victory._

When the weekly matches were being held in the Goldenrod Dome, Blake blew off what ever he was doing to get a match for that night which he won with a bit of trouble at the beginning because he was testing out the Clash he had seen Grace use. With another win on his record, that left one match to go before the Rookie Kings.

**5/6/0046/Morning**

**Team Rocket Recruitment Center**

"Congratulations, all of you have been accepted into different Branches of Team Rocket. I'll announce where you'll be sent to. From the tests during the past week, we have evaluated your abilities and found a place where you will be most useful." The Instructor said, beginning to go down the list.

To be honest, Blake was surprised to find out how big Team Rocket was in Johto, hearing about multiple Branches in different areas that preformed tasks to keep them on a low profile status while getting the jobs done.

"'Luke', you have been assigned to the Johto Free Style Team." The Instructor said, looking up from his clip board at Blake who wasn't even paying attention. "And Miss 'Joy' has also been assigned to the Free Style Team as well."

'Joy' gave him a small nod and a grin before he dismissed the class, telling them to report to the Sleeping Chambers to collect their belongings and begin traveling to the Branch they had been assigned to.

As Blake walked through the halls with Grace, only one question continued to run through his mind about Team Rocket. 'How does an organization that large stay hidden so well from the Committee?'

* * *

><p>"Welcome to Johto Free Style Team!" Shari shouted as 'Luke' and 'Joy' entered the small room, two guys they didn't know seated quietly in the back of the room.<p>

"What's all this for?" Blake asked, focusing on the two people in the back.

"The Free Style Team rarely gets new recruits. I was newest member until now." Shari explained, closing the door once both of them were inside.

"Great, two brats is just what we need." One of them said, rising from his seat.

"No need to be mean Pat, they just got here." The other guy said.

"Well they said the top of the class. You really expect me to think it would be two kids Henry?" Pat asked. "I'm outta here. Give me a call when we get some useful people."

Pat stalked out the room, leaving the member count at four now.

"Don't mind him. He just hasn't had his coffee yet." Henry said, motioning for Blake and Grace to sit down with a cheerful smile. "Welcome to the team, it's been a while since we've had any new members. My name is Henry and I'm sure you met 'Carol' already."

Blake found Henry rather pleasant and polite for a Team Rocket member.

"So now that you guys are official members, we can go over or latest mission." Henry began, pointing to the file that rested on the table in the center of the room.

Grace picked up, placing it on her lap where she opened it to read the information inside. Grace held back a small gasp when she saw the picture inside the folder of someone she knew.

'Dustin?' She exclaimed mentally before remembering that she was in Team Rocket at the moment. "Who's this?"

"This guy is a Committee member and he's been snooping around Team Rocket for a while now. We've been ordered to pursue and take care of him before he finds out anything." Henry explained. "He was moving around our Goldenrod Branch, but a report says he's currently in Olivine City."

"So when do we move out?" Blake asked.

"Tomorrow morning. We'll take a boat to Olivine City and search the city for him. Who ever finds him first will keep and eye on him and call together the team. Then we'll engage." Henry continued.

**5/7/0046/Before Sunrise**

**Goldenrod Seaport**

Blake and Grace quickly moved through the empty market in search of the boat Henry had told them about yesterday. After a quick search, the duo found the rest of the Free Style Team waiting in a small boat, Shari at the steering wheel while Henry and Pat sat in the back, waiting for them.

"Good morning." Grace said with a smile, walking up the ramp that led onto the boat while waving to the guys.

"What's so good about it?" Blake asked, still grumpy at the fact that he had once again been awakened from his sleep before the sun was even up.

"Come on guys, we're leaving." Shari said, starting the engines before stomping on the boat. Before Henry or Pat could push the ramp back onto the pier, the boat lunged forward, leaving the ramp with nothing to support it which caused it to fall into the water below, beginning to drift out into the sea.

**5/7/0046/Evening**

**Olivine Seaport**

"Well that took a lot longer than we planned on." Henry said as he climbed out the boat dressed in some regular clothing since the Team Rocket uniform would bring some unnecessary attention to himself and to the team.

"I thought we'd get her by lunch time but the sun is starting to set." Shari said, dressed in some casual clothing that any other person would be wearing along with Blake, Grace and Pat.

**Olivine City**

Olivine City, one of the three cities in the Johto Region where the word city actually fit since this was indeed a city, and a large one at that.

Like Goldenrod City, it possessed a large seaport only Olivine City's seaport was larger and the main seaport in Johto that was used to import and export items from Johto to the other Regions.

The heart of the city was the location of the Battle Dome that was just a bit smaller than the Goldenrod Dome. Skyscrapers filled each city block, decreasing in height as you neared the out reaches of the city.

Olivine City also possessed a relic from the Old Days, the Shining Lighthouse that is still used today. The 'Lighthouse Pokemon' as the citizens referred to it was an Ampharos that kept the harbor lit during the night whenever a ship was coming in.

**Shining Lighthouse**

Blake stepped into one of the six elevators in the lobby, glancing at the panel that was next to the door on the inside of the elevator, picking which floor he was going to head to. BF 2. The doors closed and the elevator dropped, becoming dark since the only source of light in the elevator was small window on the side that was now blocked by the wall of the building.

Several moments later, the elevator's decent came to a stop, the doors opening to reveal a scene Blake wasn't expecting. Instead of some old basement underneath an old building, Blake found what looked exactly like a Black Market that was filled with Team Rocket Grunts.

At the nearest stand, Blake could see a nicely dressed female standing in front a line up of depressed Pokemon trying to decide which one she wanted.

'What is this place?' Blake asked himself, looking around at the multiple sales that were taking place in this dimly area.

"Hey kid, what are you doing down here?" A Grunt asked, approaching Blake from the booth he was running.

"That's none of your business." Blake said, beginning to walk away from the Grunt.

"I think it is my business. We don't want any snot nosed brats doing what they want down here." The Grunt said, grabbing Blake's left arm to holding him back. Blake turned back to glare at the grunt, readying his right fist for use. "Children shouldn't be messing the business of Team Rocket."

"You mustn't place a hand on an innocent child." A deep burly voice stated as a huge hand grabbed the back of the Grunt's head.

"What the-" The Grunt began but was cut off when he was wrenched from the ground, releasing Blake's arm and hurled into his booth. Everyone took a moment to stare at them before business continued since events like that happened often.

"Young one, how do you feel now that Dustin the Great has saved you?" The tall man asked that Blake recognized from the picture he had seen back in Goldenrod City.

Dustin stood in front of him, his hand out stretched, waiting for a reply. Blake blinked before kicking his right shin, grabbing Quilava's Poke-ball as he put some distance in between them. Dustin flinched while raising his right leg to clutch his sin in pain but he lost his balance, falling flat on his face.

"Let's battle." Blake said, releasing Quilava from its Poke-ball. Dustin looked up at him from the ground before a white flash jumped out of his jacket, morphing into a slim Pokemon with a white body and yet its legs were large and red like the top of its head.

"Medicham!" It said, taking a fighting stance with one of its legs raised slightly while it balance on the other, its hands clasped together as it stared at Blake and Quilava.

Dustin quickly rose to his feet, dusting himself off before mimicking Medicham's stance as the two of them began transition through several stances which ended with them motioning for Blake to attack.

"Quilava, Flame Wheel." Blake said, starting the battle. Dustin didn't give Medicham any commands as Quilava neared it, completely engulfed in flames. Just before Quilava hit, the Fighting type Pokemon took one small step to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack while landing a swift punch through the flames to Quilava's side, disrupting the attack.

The Flame Wheel fell apart as Quilava came to a stop, a large bruise on its side. The Fire type Pokemon turned around glare at Medicham and Dustin who were holding the same stance again.

"Alright then Quilava, Quick Attack." Blake said, changing his tactics. Quilava burst forward at Medicham closing the distance in a split second, but Medicham stopped Quilava's approach with one hand before leaning backward, falling to the ground while landing a dual kick to Quilava's stomach, launching the Pokemon into the air.

"Alright Medicham, finish this battle with Hi Jump Kick!" Dustin shouted as Medicham sprung off the ground, flying up toward Quilava. Medicham smashed its left knee into Quilava's body, causing massive damage to the Fire type Pokemon.

Medicham landed on the ground without a sound followed by Quilava who landed with a thud, its eyes replaced by a pair of black swirls.

'That Pokemon is strong.' Blake said to himself, taking out his Pokedex while returning Quilava to its Poke-ball. 'Sorry Quilava, I didn't realize he was so strong until it was too late.'

Name: Medicham Origin: Hoenn Hoenn Region-Fighting, Psychic the Pokedex said. 'Hmm...'

"Poliwhirl, let's go." Blake said, releasing the Water type from its Poke-ball. "Water Gun."

Poliwhirl fired a stream of water at Medicham, but the attack was simply deflected away from Medicham, getting Blake's attention. With a keen eye, Blake could see a shield of psychic energy angled in a way to divert Poliwhirl's attack in another direction. 'Distance attack won't work unless it's clever.'

"Poliwhirl, use Ice Punch." Blake ordered, getting a nod from his Pokemon before it charged at Medicham.

"Medicham, are you ready to Synchronize?" Dustin asked his Pokemon, getting a nod from it.

Both Dustin and Medicham shut their eyes for a moment, opening them again to reveal a pair of eerie green pupils staring at the approaching Poliwhirl. Poliwhirl threw a short jab with its right hand but Medicham quickly caught its fist with its left hand, Dustin mirroring what Medicham was doing perfectly. Before Poliwhirl could even think about using its left, Medicham's right hand became enveloped in a yellow aura, a few sparks flying out every so often.

'He's not even giving his Pokemon any commands. Whatever they're doing, its way faster than vocal commands.' Blake exclaimed, watching Medicham smash its palm into Poliwhirl's torso, slamming the Water type Pokemon onto the ground.

"Poliwhirl, are you alright?" Blake asked, running up to the Pokemon that gave him no response, its eyes replaced with a pair of black swirls. "Return."

Poliwhirl turned in a red beam of light, returning to its Poke-ball that left Blake with only two more Pokemon to use. Medicham moved back, giving Blake a little space, waiting to see what else Blake was going to do.

"Kirlia, let's go." Blake said, releasing his third Pokemon. "Use Shadow Sn-" Before Blake had finished giving his command, Kirlia was sent flying into the air by Medicham's right knee who had rushed at Kirlia while Blake was giving his command. Medicham then jumped at the airborne Kirlia, stiffening its left hand to land a chop on Kirlia.

"Kirlia, use Confusion." Blake shouted as Medicham neared the Pokemon. A protective blue outline formed around Kirlia as Medicham landed the chop, but with that attack blocked, Medicham palmed Kirlia's head as the two began to fall back toward the ground.

Blake watched helplessly as Kirlia's protective shield shattered when Medicham slammed it into the ground head first, the momentum from their fall doubling the damage. Medicham jumped back thinking Kirlia was finished, but the Psychic Pokemon wearily rose to its feet, still trying to continue.

"Kirlia, Magical Leaf." Blake said as Medicham took yet another stance waiting to see what the weakened Kirlia could do.

"Kir!" It shouted, several multi-colored leaves appearing in front of it, all of them rushing toward Medicham. With a simple swing of its arm, Medicham blocked the Magical Leaf attack by creating another shield of Psychic energy.

The moment the attack ended, Medicham rushed at the tired Kirlia, landing a quick chop on it that finished it off, leaving Blake with his last Pokemon.

'Grr, Larvitar has the disadvantage here, but if I can land the Dark Pulse we might get the upper hand.' Blake said, beginning to formulate a plan.

"Kirlia, return." Blake said, retrieving his beaten Pokemon while releasing Larvitar. "Larvitar, stay on guard, he's really strong."

"Lar." It said, matching the glare Blake was giving Medicham.

"Start with Rock Throw." Blake said as Larvitar punched a hole into the ground, ripping a large piece of earth out the ground, chucking it at Medicham who simply caught the rock with one hand and tossed it away.

In the shadow of the rock which went unnoticed by Medicham and Dustin was a regular Dark Pulse that Larvitar threw a few seconds after the rock, using it as bait for the real attack.

Medicham was caught off guard but it still managed to cross its arms in front of its chest, the attack hitting its guard full on which left Medicham at bit dazed. Blake ordered Lavitar to use Bite, the small green Pokemon rushing toward Medicham before the Fighting type Pokemon clapped its hands together, its body gaining a whitish glow.

'What's it doing?' Blake asked himself, watching Medicham part its hands a bit giving a blue orb space to forming, growing to match the size of Medicham's hands. "Larvitar, move!"

Larvitar jumped to its left, narrowly avoiding the expanding orb Medicham had thrown at it. Now Medicham rushed at the Larvitar, raising its right hand to use Brick Break. Larvitar quickly evaded the attacks, moving through the torrent of attacks.

Medicham quickly swept its left leg at Larvitar, knocking the Pokemon of its feet, leaving on the ground and open to a Brick Break to finish it off, but as Medicham raised its left arm, Blake jumped in between the two, blocking the attack with his right forearm.

"Huh!" Dustin said in confusion, using his mouth for the first time in a while. Blake followed through, landing a quick punch to Medicham's torso with his left hand, the physical attack doing nothing to Medicham, but what really got Blake's attention was the fact that Dustin grunted in pain, holding the spot on his body where Blake had hit Medicham. Medicham's green pupils flickered, telling Blake this was chance.

"Larvitar, Dark Pulse." Blake said before Medicham slammed its right hand into his stomach causing him to gag, hunching over in pain. Medicham raised his left hand again, ready to land a Brick Break on Blake, but since Blake was bent off, this gave Larvitar a clear shot at Medicham's head with the Modified Dark Pulse.

Medicham was knocked clean of its feet by the attack, landing on the ground with a thud, its green pupils in both Dustin and Medicham's eyes disappearing.

"No way, you broke the Synchronism." Dustin muttered in disbelief, watching Blake drop to the ground, still gasping for air, Larvitar trying to help in anyway possible. "What's your name?"

Blake couldn't answer at the moment, beating his chest with his fist in attempt to get oxygen moving through his system again. After a few more moments and a few deep breaths, Blake could talk again.

"Blake." He said, rising to his feet as Dustin returned Medicham to its Poke-ball. "What was that thing you were doing during the battle? Your Medicham didn't need any vocal commands yet it moved like you gave it the order to attack."

"That's called Synchronism." Dustin responded.

"Tell me about." Blake said as Dustin turned away.

"If we ever meet again kid, under different circumstances, I'll tell you." Dustin said as Blake ran up to him, Larvitar on his shoulder.

"Just a little." Blake said while grabbing Dustin's right arm in attempt to stop him.

Dustin suddenly turned around, throwing a full swing with his left fist, smashing it into Blake's face which sent him flying backward, blood flowing out his now broken nose. Blake crashed into the booth behind him which luckily was empty.

'There's some kind of aura around that kid.' Dustin said to himself, looking at Blake one finally time before he began to walk deeper into the market. 'Medicham can sense it and I saw it during the Synchronism. Just who are you Blake?'

* * *

><p><strong>Please review. Even though it doesn't effect my update intervals, I want know what anyone thinks of this so far since the plot line is going to be revealed in the near future. So review if you have <em>anything <em>to say.**

**Synchronism-I don't know if anyone used this ability yet in Pokemon but this is a special ability that can be used by trainers who have a special trait or gene in their blood. This ability is dormant at birth and can only be awakened by another person with Synchronism. With this active, trainers don't need to give their Pokemon vocal commands since their mind is one with their Pokemon, allowing them to give orders with a faster reaction team and create counter measures through the eyes of the Pokemon.**


	12. Rookie Kings Opening

Chapter 12

**5/8/0046/Midnight**

**Olivine City**

Shari and Grace stepped out the elevator, entering the Black Market below the Shining Lighthouse, finding that the large room looked like nothing more than an abandoned basement. Team Rocket had closed up shop earlier in the afternoon, clearing away everything to empty the room.

The whole team had decided that it had gotten to late to search for Dustin and regrouped at the hotel they were staying in, but Blade never showed up, even after Shari gave him a call on his Pokedex. Jumping to the conclusion that something had happened to him, Shari grabbed Grace and dragged her out into the night to conduct a search for Blake now.

Beginning their search at the place they had sent Blake, the Shining Lighthouse, the two females found Blake unconscious form with the help of Grace's Electabuzz who was acting as a light source for them in the darkness.

"Woah, Dustin really did a number on him." Shari exclaimed out loud, observing Blake who was tangled in the cloth of the booth he had knocked over. His nose was deformed and bleeding from the nostrils with his Larvitar resting on top his stomach, patiently waiting for Blake to awaken.

Larvitar looked up at the girls as they neared Blake, jumping down from the boy's stomach.

"What happened to him Larvitar?" Grace asked bending down to talk to Larvitar on eye level.

"Lar." Larvitar said quietly, turning away from them while folding its arms.

"Rude much." Shari muttered, releasing her Nidoking to pick up Blake.

**Olivine City-Above Ground**

**Olivine Hotel**

Shari and Grace tossed the sixteen year old boy they had been holding up onto the large hotel bed in the center of the room. Both girls were panting, exhausted from carrying Blake up to the sixth floor of the hotel since Shari's Nidoking couldn't fit inisde the elevator.

"Jeez Blake, you're so heavy." Shari whined, taking a seat on the chair that was beside the bed. Taking a few moments to examine the damage done to Blake's face, Shari came to a conclusion. "Sheesh, I think Dustin broke his nose."

Grace searched the small cabinet in the bathroom for anything they could use for some kind of treatment of Blake's nose, but the best she could find was a box of tissues and some band-aids.

"This was all I could find." Grace said, passing Shari the items she had found.

"Eh, I'll work with it and we'll take him to a doctor tomorrow." Shari said, beginning to wipe away the blood coming from Blake's nose.

**5/8/0046/Morning**

**Olivine City**

"Well I'm not sure why you brought him here since his nose is completely fine." The Doctor said, looking at the X-rays that were up on the board.

"That's exactly what I told them." Blake mumbled as he hopped off the bed, beginning to move toward the exit.

"Oh no you don't." Shari said, grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving. "Last night his nose was in pieces, you can ask Grace."

Shari motioned to Grace who sat on one of the three chairs in the room, although as usual, the girl had her earbuds in her ears, failing to keep track of the conversation. The Doctor raised one eyebrow, finding it hard to believe that Blake's nose was broken.

"All that showed up on the X-ray was a small hair line fracture on the bridge of his nose, but that's nothing to worry about unless he's hit on the nose again." The Doctor explained, glancing down at the clipboard.

Shari was beyond confused as she tried to pull out her hair in frustration. Last night Blake's nose was bleed and deformed, but when he woke up that morning, she was surprised to find that his nose looked completely fine with the exception of a small bruise of the bridge. Not to mention Blake said he wasn't experiencing any trouble breathing.

"Alright then Doctor, thanks for your time." Shari said with a wave, grabbing Grace and Blake to drag them out the room behind her.

"Alright Blake, spill it. How'd you fix your nose so fast?" Shari asked, pressing her face against Blake's as she inspected his nose. "None of us have any healing Pokemon like a Chansey so how'd you do it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Blake said in response, taking a step away from Shari.

"Well there's no way a broken nose can become perfectly fine over night."

"Well then I don't know what to say." Blake said, beginning to walk down the hall that led to the lobby of the building.

**5/10/0046/Night**

**Olivine Battle Dome**

Blake spent his last two days in Olivine City battling numerous trainers to try and vent his frustration at the fact that Dustin had easily cleaned out his team and it took an interference from himself to land one clean on his Medicham.

After two days of training, the night for the Olivine matches in the Battle Dome arrived and Blake had signed up for a match while the rest of the team was preparing to leave Olivine City. This would be his fourth match, which meant he had to win at all costs since the Rookie Kings would be starting soon.

"Match Three! Blue box, Blake!" Nurse Joy shouted from the entrance of the waiting room.

* * *

><p>"Alright folks, as you can see, tonight's slots are filled up with trainers who are planning to Rookie Kings Tournament so pick a favorite and head to Goldenrod City to see them in action." The announcer said. "And here comes another trainer who's battling for his entrance to the Tournament. In the blue box with a record of 3-3-0, Blake from New Bark Town against Andy from Olivine City who has a record of 6-5-1 in the red box."<p>

"Trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted, raising both of the flags.

Blake selected Kirlia's Poke-ball, planning to attempt the throw Grace used in her last match. His first try in his last match didn't go so well, resulting in his opponent getting the upper hand from the start.

Blake swung his arm in a horizontal arc, releasing his hold on Kirlia's Poke-ball mid swing which gave the Poke-ball spin as it flew toward Andy's Poke-ball. Just like last time, even though it had a spin, the Poke-ball Blake had thrown didn't curve around the opponents Poke-ball and hit it from the side, it hit it dead on, completely blowing away Andy's Poke-ball with the spin it had.

'Hmm…that wasn't the result I was looking for but I like it.' Blake said mentally as two Pokemon appeared on the field. Kirlia was ready to battle for Blake while a Meowth that was covered in bruises was battling for Andy.

The crowd was kind of lost. Even though many of them couldn't do what trainer in the Battle Circuit could do, after some research, the throws used in a Clash became divided into types and how powerful they were and many critics identified Blake's throw as a high level Spin Counter.

'No way, this guy is so strong!' Andy exclaimed mentally, looking at his Meowth who fell to one knee, unable to stand up any longer.

"Battle begin!"

"Kirlia, use Magical Leaf." Blake said, starting the battle.

"Meowth, dodge it." Andy said to the Cat Pokemon which didn't change anything since the Pokemon was already in a state where dodging an attack would be a miracle. Dozens of multi colored leaves rained down onto Meowth, each one doing a little damage but all together it was enough to wipe out the little bit of health Meowth had left from the Clash.

The ref checked Meowth who hadn't moved at all after taking the hit. The ref raised the blue flag, getting a huge applause from the crowd from the super quick, one sided victory that gave Blake the right to enter the Rookie Kings Tournament.

* * *

><p>"So you're planning to enter the Rookie Kings Tournament?" Nurse Joy asked, accepting Blake's Pokedex to register his name on the roster.<p>

"Yup." Blake said simply, looking up at the huge board that showed the still incomplete Rookie King roster.

"You're number 1879. Good luck in the Tournament." She said with a smile, returning Blake's Pokedex. If Blake wasn't such a stoic person, his eyeballs would've popped out of his eye sockets when he heard the number. He knew the Rookie Kings would have a lot of people, but not this many.

Blake thanked her with a small wave before exiting the Battle Dome, pleased that he had gotten four matches in time for the Rookie Kings. All he had to do now was find a way back to Goldenrod City.

**5/11/0046/Evening**

**Goldenrod Seaport**

Earlier this morning, the team gave up on their search for Dustin since they couldn't even find a lead on him after Blake's encounter with the Committee member.

Pat was kind of irritated that Blake had failed to capture Dustin saying that 'if he was the one battling Dustin he would've had him begging for mercy in under two minutes.' That statement only received raised eyebrows from Blake before he shrugged it off.

Henry was completely neutral to heading back since he found Olivine City to be slightly colder than Goldenrod, plus he didn't want to turn this into an extended mission.

Grace and Shari were relieved that they had stopped hunting Dustin in fear that one of the 'actual' Team Rocket members might meet him instead of them and cause some form of harm to their friend.

Blake was pleased that they were heading back to Goldenrod City simply because he wanted to make sure nothing interfered with him battling in the Rookie Kings.

* * *

><p>"So what's the plan for now?" Henry asked as they took their seats inside the room that was given to the Free Style Team.<p>

"You two are free to do what you want." Shari said, motioning to Pat and Henry. "Luke, Joy and I are going to do a little traveling to that I can show them the ropes."

"I won't be calling you if we get a mission. Me and Henry can handle it ourselves." Pat said, giving them a wave as they left the room. Shari smiled to herself at how easily she set up a cover for herself, Blake and Grace without any sense of doubt from Henry and Pat.

"Alright, so where are you guys headed for?" Shari asked once they left the Bunker, moving above ground.

"Well I have my Rookie Kings Tournament coming up so I'm staying in Goldenrod City." Blake said as the three of the walked along on the empty sidewalks, several cars passing by on the paved road even though it was unnecessary since the cars hovered about three feet over the ground whenever they're moving. "After that, I'll be going up north."

"To Ecruteak City?" Shari asked.

"I guess. Somewhere with a Battle Dome since I have to become a B-Class trainer." Blake explained.

"Alright, where are you headed Grace?" Shari turned to Grace now.

"Somewhere to train for the IBF Tourney. I think I'll be going to Mt. Mortar until the IBF Tourney starts." She replied, raising her head in thought.

"Mt. Mortar. There are some high level Pokemon living there." Shari said, recalling the time she was sent to the large mountain.

"It should be good training." She said thoughtfully.

"Well since you two split up, I'll be going somewhere too." Shari said.

"And where would that be?" Blake asked.

"I'll tell you when I get there."

**5/21/0046/Morning**

**Goldenrod Battle Dome**

Blake entered the stadium after receiving directions from Nurse Joy, the fans anxiously waiting for the Tournament to begin in the stands.

'Woah.' Was all Blake could say mentally as he looked at the huge crowd of trainers that were waiting for the opening ceremony. It was just a sea of bodies filled with trainers from all over Johto who were planning to win this Tournament for the prize money and the rank boost. 'So many trainers to battle.'

Blake joined the line as the announcer who was normally in his box in the stands walked onto the large platform with a microphone.

"Hello R-Class Trainers of Johto! Are you ready for the Rookie Kings?" The announcer asked with a booming voice.

"Hell yeah!" A voice Blake knew shouted causing him to glance over his shoulder to see the source. 'So Robbie made it.'

"Fans all over Johto, are you ready to see who's the top Rookie in Johto?" The announcer asked, turning to the people in the stands now. The crowd roared in approval while people all over Johto got comfy in front of their TV sets, waiting for this to start.

"You heard the crowd trainers. Out of all 2328 of you, only one trainer will stand at the top so let's get this started!" The announcer shouted excitedly. "This is Day 1 of 4 for the Rookie Kings, head to lobby to find out which of the four Domes you'll be battling in until Day 3!"

* * *

><p>Blake patiently waited in one of the large waiting rooms as the battles continued. His number was still pretty far off, leaving him with plenty of time to make several strategies for battle.<p>

Coincidence or not, Robbie, Mari, and Blake were all put in different Domes so if they planned to battle each other, the three would have to make it to the Top 32 of the Tournament.

From what he had seen so far, Blake wasn't interested in any of the trainers he had seen. Some of them were pretty strong for for an R-Class trainer and they had plenty of Pokemon he hadn't seen yet so his Pokedex was quickly being filled up, but there appeared to be no high level trainers to give him a run for his money.

After being lost in thought for about an hour, Blake's number was called, bring him back to reality. He then quickly slipped out the room, heading down to the stadium, getting ready for battle.

"Match 69 in Dome 3, Blake vs Lisa." The board said, a picture of Blake and Lisa from the chest up appearing on the screen. Blake stepped into the red box, waiting for the ref to give them the signal to begin.

"Trainers, Clash!" He shouted.

Blake selected the Poke-ball and gave it a toss, using a basic throw for the Clash which led to an even amount of damage being done to the Pokemon that would be used in battle. Larvitar appeared on Blake's side of the field while a Clefairy appeared on Lisa's side.

"Battle begin!"

"Clefairy use Me First!" Lisa shouted to start off the battle. Blake took a moment, waiting to see what this move was, but nothing happened, resulting in him marking the move as useless.

"Larvitar, use Rock Throw." Blake said, watching Larvitar rip a chunk of earth of the ground, but before Larvitar could even throw it, the Rock Skin Pokemon was hit by another rock that matched the size of the one it was currently holding. Lavitar was sent tumbling backward a bit before it returned to its feet, only taking a little damage from the attack.

"Me First. So you can copy any move a Pokemon is about to perform and then use it first. This could become annoying." Blake muttered to himself, glaring at the small pink Pokemon that was Larvitar opponent. "Larvitar, use Bite."

"Lar!" It shouted, taking off in a dash toward Clefairy who was waiting for their next move.

"Clefairy, use Defense Curl." Lisa said. Clefairy rolled itself up into a tight ball, tucking its arms and feet to raise its defensive stat and protect itself from Larvitar's attack. Larvitar bit down on Clefairy but failed to cause any serious damage but Blake quickly planned out another route of attack.

"Larvitar, toss Clefairy into the air and use Dark Pulse." If Physical damage was unsuccessful, Special damage was next choice on the list. Larvitar easily threw Clefairy in its curled up state into the air, high enough so that it would have time to charge up a Dark Pulse.

"Clefairy, Me First!" Lisa shouted, hoping to counter Blake's attack. The airborne Clefairy uncurled itself, charging up a Dark Pulse in time to throw it at the same time with Larvitar, but Lisa did not know the Dark Pulse Larvitar and Blake had practicing up to the Rookie Kings.

The Dark Pulse's met but to Lisa's surprise, Clefairy's was obliterated in an instant as Larvitar's Modified Dark Pulse broke through it and rushed toward Clefairy who had no ways of dodging it in mid air.

"Larvitar, Bite." Clefairy landed on the ground, a large portion of its health taken out from the Dark Pulse leaving Larvitar to go in for the finish.

"Clefairy, use Fake Tears." Lisa said quickly, using one of her trump cards when it came to battling Pokemon of different genders. Clefairy buried its face its hands, a waterfall of tears beginning to fly out its covered eyes.

What Lisa hadn't expected was that fact that even though Larvitar and Clefairy were opposite genders, it had nerves of steel and was only focused on finishing the battle, nothing else. Larvitar landed the Bite attack, finishing Clefairy off.

"The winner is Larvitar." The ref said after checking Clefairy who was resting on its back, out cold.

"Nice Larvitar." Blake said, motioning for his partner to climb up onto his shoulder. The crowd was cheering for him as he made his way toward the exit of the stadium.

The day continued smoothly, Blake racking up the five wins he would need to continue onto Day 2 of the Rookie Kings, and after checking the board; he saw that both Mari and Robbie made it as well along with another trainer Blake wouldn't mind battling again.

**5/22/0046/Evening**

**Dome 2**

"Eevee, use Quick Attack!" Mari shouted, pointing at the weakened Houndour on the other side of the field. Eevee rushed forward, leaving a white streak behind it as it raced across the field, ramming itself into Houndour.

Houndour was sent sliding across the dirt, the last of its health disappearing from the Quick Attack. The ref ran over to Houndour, checking the Pokemon before deeming it unable to continue.

"And Mari from Cherrygrove City advances to the Day 3 of the Rookie Kings." The announcer shouted as the crowded applauded Mari for her victory.

"We did it Eevee!" Mari shouted, picking up the small Pokemon in a tight hug since they were closing in on the prize money that she would be giving to Cherrygrove City.

**Dome 4**

"Kadabra, finish Gloom of with Psybeam!" Robbie shouted excited as he and Kadabra approached the end of Day 2 for the Rookie Kings, his final win with in his reach.

Kadabra pointed the single spoon it held in one of its hands at the Grass type Pokemon, a multi colored beam of psychic energy flying toward Gloom from the spoon. The Grass Pokemon was blown backward, the Psybeam knocking out the rest of its health.

"Gloom is unable to continue. Kadabra is the winner!" The ref said, gesturing to Robbie and Kadabra.

"Yeah! We're in the third day thanks to you Kadabra!" Robbie shouted to the Psychic type Pokemon. The crowd cheered for Robbie now that he was in the Top 32 and would be battling the best Rookies in Johto for the title Rookie King.

**Dome 3**

"Poliwhirl, wrap this up with Ice Punch." Blake said, using the move they had practiced before the Rookie Kings for the first time.

"Poli!" Poliwhirl shouted, its right hand becoming enveloped in an icy blue aura that was sparkling from the sunlight. Poliwhirl rushed toward the heavily damaged Skiploom, ready to finish it off with a super effective hit.

Poliwhirl landed a brutal right hook that sent Skiploom flying back to its trainer who knew that his Skiploom couldn't battle anymore.

"Skiploom is unable to battle! The winner is Poliwhirl!" The ref shouted causing the crowd to burst into cheers for Blake and Poliwhirl's one sided victory.

"Nice Poliwhirl." Blake said, giving it a pat on the head as walked out the stadium along side him.

**5/23/0046/Morning**

**Main Battle Dome**

Blake, Mari and Robbie stood in line with the other twenty nine trainers that had made it this far in the Rookie Kings. All three of them were anxious to start, the announcer was now introducing each of the trainers to the crowd before the event began.

"Alright, and next on the list is a trainer named Blake from New Bark Town who's made it this far with a perfect record." The announcer said, approaching Blake. "Is there anything you'd like to say to the crowd?"

"This isn't for the crowd, it's for the trainers." Blake began, taking the microphone from him. "Don't lose to quickly."

The crowd couldn't describe how they felt at Blake's declaration since he had a completely neutral expression yet he just picked a fight with every trainer who was in the Top 32.

"We got a tough guy here folks, watch out for him." The announcer said after Blake returned the mic. "The last to two trainers on the last were some last minute entries, but they made it this far. First is Robbie from Olivine City, anything to say."

Robbie snatched the mic from announcer and pointed at the other trainers.

"If you guys think you can beat me, there's no chance in hell so get ready to lose!" Robbie shouted, getting a few cheers from the spectators who liked his bravery.

"Another Rookie with spunk, keep an eye on his as well people." The announcer said, taking the mic back from Robbie. "And last but not least, Mari from Cherrygrove City. What do you have to say young lady?"

"All I can say is that I'm so happy I made it this far. The sky is the limit and that's where I'm heading." She said, with less flare than Robbie but more emotion than Blake.

"Well good luck to ya. And that wraps this up so let's start the first battle of Day 3!"

* * *

><p>Blake glanced up at the board when the roster was decided on, looking for his picture so that he could see his first opponent. It was boy that Blake had battle twice before and now would be their third.<p>

Blake quietly strolled out the room when his number was called, spotting his latest opponent in the corridor he had just entered.

"It's nice to see that you made it Blake." Galen said with a grin.

"Likewise." Was all Blake said in return as they walked down the long corridor that led into the stadium.


	13. Rookie Kings Closing

Chapter 13

"Match 7, Blake vs Galen." The board said, a picture of each trainer next to their name.

Just like when they met back at Blake's debut, Galen was in the red box and Blake was in the blue box. It was almost nostalgic.

"Let's do this!" Galen shouted, already holding the Poke-ball that contained the Pokemon he was going to use. Blake gave him a nod. Both of them knew which Pokemon the other was going to use.

"Trainers, Clash!" Both Blake and Galen threw their Poke-ball onto the field using a basic throw. Sparks went flying as Quilava and Flaaffy appeared on the field, sliding back on their feet as they both received an equal amount of damage from the Clash. "Battle begin!"

It was just like back in Violet City, but now the two of them were on a larger stage, with stronger Pokemon. Blake couldn't hold back the smirk that formed on his face.

"Quilava, Flame Wheel!" Blake shouted, kick starting his engines in his brain for the battle.

"Flaaffy, counter with Spark!" Galen shouted.

Flaaffy was first was move, charging toward Quilava on all fours as an electrical halo ignited around its body. The flames on Quilava's head and back grew in size as it covered its body in fire, rushing toward Flaffy with a shout of its name. The two of them met in a clash for dominance, neither of them backing down for several moments as small thunder bolts and bursts of flames went out in all directions.

Unseen by everyone else because Quilava and Flaffy were hidden inside the the flames of Quilava's attack, the two Pokemon were having a bitter stand off, pressing their foreheads against the other with a dark glare. Both Pokemon jumped back, releasing their attacks which revealed the damage done by the clash.

Flaffy's body and wool had been blackened from the flames while Quilava was trying to shake off the electrical sparks that continued to zap it from Flaffy's attack.

'His Flaffy is even stronger than the last time I battled it.' Blake noted since Flaffy appeared to fairing better than Quilava from their first attacks.

"Flaffy, use Thundershock!" Galen shouted, pointing toward Quilava who was still trying to rid itself of the electricity around its body.

"Fla!" The Electric type shouted, charging up a electricity in the horns on its head before it released several bolts that were sent flying toward Quilava.

"Quilava, dodge them with Quick Attack!" Blake said quickly. If they were at a disadvantage with power, then he'd use speed to win. Weaving its way through the bolts of electricity, Quilava dove in at Flaffy to land a quick blow which sent it sliding back to Galen on its back.

"Flaffy, are you okay?" Galen asked, observing his Flaffy who rose back up to its feet with a grunt before giving him a nod. "Alright, use Thundershock again, but with more umph!"

"Fla...Fee!" It shouted, charging up an enormous amount of electricity in its horns before taking one heavy step forward. Flaffy fired off one large vertical bolt of electricity toward Quilava, the bolt leaving a semi large indent in the ground as it traveled toward its target.

'Its pretty easy to dodge that...' Blake noted. "Quilava, dodge it."

"Flaffy, get it with Thunder Wave!" Galen shouted as Quilava began to move. Stomping its foot a second time, Flaffy released a second electrical current into the ground that quickly caught up to the bolt of electrcity it had fired earlier, causing the bolt to morph into a large net that trapped Quilava before it could move out of range completely.

Quilava gave a pained shout as the Thunder Wave held it in place for the larger Thundershock to leave its mark, taking out a good portion of Quilava health.

"Not bad." Blake muttered as the attack ended. It was pretty clever.

"Flaffy, let's finish this with Thundershock!" Galen shouted, getting a shout from Flaffy who fired multiple bolts of electricity at Quilava.

"Quilava, use Flame Wheel but reverse the direction of your spin!" Blake ordered, seeing that it was do or die time.

With grit teeth, Quilava shook its fur vigorously to momentarily break the paralysis, which was enough time to coat its body in flames, beginning to spin. But Quilava's usually used a counterclockwise spin, and now that it was using a clockwise spin, the bolts of electricity from Flaffy were pulled into the flames, raising Quilava's striking power.

"Look out Flaffy!" Galen shouted, but Quilava was too quick.

Flaffy was sent flying by a brutal blast of flames and electricity that fried most of its body. Flaffy landed on the ground with a hard thud, its eyes replaced with black swirls.

"Flaaffy is unable to battle, the winner is Blake!" The ref shouted, pointing to Blake who kneeling down next to Quilava, checking the damage from using Flame Wheel like they just had.

Surprisingly, Quilava was not only suffering from further electrical damage, but also from some severe burns. Obviously this usage of Flame Wheel was still pretty dangerous use.

"Nice Quilava. You did great, take a rest." Blake said, returning the tired Fire type Pokemon to its Poke-ball.

"Good battle Blake." Galen said as Blake stood up straight. Galen put out his hand, waiting for Blake to shake it which he did, both of them getting a cheer from crowd.

"Good sportsmanship Rookies!"

Galen and Blake separated, heading out the way they had entered the stadium.

'Damn. I thought I had him this time.' Galen muttered to himself. 'But again he had another trick that toasted me. I thought he was pretty good the first time, but he really is an amazing trainer.'

Galen wore a false smile. He couldn't frown knowing he had a rival as strong as Blake was, but he couldn't give a genuine smile knowing he had been crushed once again.

* * *

><p>Blake, Mari, and Robbie continued their day with a winning streak, each match even better than the last as the crowd soon began to recognize which Rookies in this tournament stood out compared to the rest. With all their matches won, all three had advanced to the Top 8 of the tournament, which left one more round of battles for Day 3.<p>

Blake would be the last match of the day while both Mari and Robbie won their Top 8 match putting them in the Semi-final.

* * *

><p>"Match 30, Blake vs Carrie." The board read.<p>

Blake stood in the red box now, closely observing the damaged field he would be battling on, but he only had one strategy prepared for this match. He was far to anxious to think straight, so he planned to end this as quickly as he could. He didn't particularly enjoy making his victories quick if he could, but he didn't want to increase his chances of losing.

On the other side of the field, Carrie wore a smirk as she tried to calm her nerves. The entire day for her had been nothing but close victories, but when she had seen Blake's record throughout the tournament, she knew she was in for her hardest match yet. 'One more match and I can have a rematch with Robbie and pay him back for beating me. I won't lose.'

"Trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted. Carrie selected a Poke-ball from her belt, and gave it a basic throw onto the field, but Blake had used the Spin Counter which he had been practicing for the entire week, improving his control over the spin.

Carrie's Poke-ball was blown away, shocking the crowd since none of them were expecting to see anything like that during a Rookie Kings Tournament. A damaged Yanma appeared on the field for Carrie, resting on the ground since it was unable to take flight while Blake had sent out Kirlia.

'What?' Carrie said, shocked that her Yanma was already so close to fainting. 'Who is this guy?'

"Battle begin."

"Kirlia, use Confusion." Blake said, planning to end the battle as fast as possible. "Hold it in place and then attack."

A blue outline appeared around Yanma, lifting it into the air while a distorted space formed in front of Kirlia that shot forward. The distorted space collided with Yanma who couldn't move which sent it to the ground rolling. Yanma eventually came to a stop in front of Carrie who had yet to give it a command, its eyes replaced with swirls.

"Yanma is unable to battle, the winner is Kirlia." The ref said. The crowd roared at the fastest victory they had seen in the entire Tournament.

"You just saw it folks, the fastest win in this tournament with a destructive Clash to start things off. Blake advances to the Semi-final which will take place during the Day 4."

Carrie kneeled down next to Yanma, looking at the Pokemon she had spent so much time training with for the Rookie Kings. After she returned Yanma to its Poke-ball, Carrie found Blake in front of her, his right hand extended to help her back to her feet.

Carrie stared at him for a moment, keeping a straight face. Blake seemed so much larger now, like he was towering over her. She then noted that-that was the difference in their ability as trainers.

"You're Yanma is pretty strong. I wasn't expecting it to still be standing after the Clash." Blake stated in a deadpan, pointing out the highest point in their short battle, trying to loosen up the growing depression he could see in her eyes.

Once Carrie was in the corridor that led out the stadium, she couldn't hold back the bitter tears that were building up. So much time training just too beaten with one attack. It stung to see all your work go down the drain in an instant to someone who is superior.

**Ecruteak City**

"Hey guys, I found him!" A young female trainer shouted, calling for the other people that were living under the same roof as her.

"Found who?" A second voice called out as three other women entered the room.

"Blake!"

"Blake? You can't be serious."

"Its true, he's on tv! Right there...here comes the rerun."

A rerun of the Johto Rookie Kings had been replaying from earlier in the afternoon with a few critics discussing the performance of a trainer that went by the name of Blake.

"No way, it is him!"

"I can't believe it!"

"Wait, Lana, where are you going?"

"I have to go get him before he disappears again."

**5/24/0046/Noon**

**Main Battle Dome**

"Welcome back Johto Region to the Rookie Kings Tournament where the strongest Rookie in Johto will be elevated the C-Class status, but now we're at the Semi-final where any trainer that loses will still be bumped up to the D-Class." The announcer explained since this was being broadcasted all over the Johto Region now, and today was day when the most viewers would tune in to see if Johto will have a new rising star.

"The first Semi-final match is between Mari of Cherrygrove City and Nathan from Blackthorn City. Both of them have a perfect record in the Battle Circuit so that means someone is going to receive their first black star today."

In the stadium, Mari stood in the blue box, ready and waiting for the match to begin. 'I'm not going to lose. I made it this far and I have to get he prize money for Cherrygrove City.'

"Trainers, Clash!" Mari and Nathan threw their Poke-balls onto the field with all the strength they could, the Poke-ball's meeting in a Clash of sparks before the newest addition to Mari's team appeared on the field.

"Pika!" The yellow mouse Pokemon said, a few sparks coming from its red cheeks.

For Nathan, a Haunter floated in mid air, waiting for the signal to begin.

"Battle begin!" The crowd became silent as the first match began.

"Haunter, use Shadow Punch." Nathan said, starting the battle. Haunter disappeared from sight for a moment leaving Mari and Pikachu confused before it reappeared in front of Pikachu, landing a quick punch that sent Pikachu tumbling backward. Pikachu came to halt and jumped back to its feet with a determined expression.

"Haunter, use Shadow Punch again." Nathan said, watching his Ghost type Pokemon disappear from sight again. Mari took a moment to think before snapping her fingers.

"Pikachu, build electricity all over your body." She said to the mouse who followed her order, sparks of electricity flying out as Haunter appeared in front of it, landing another punch, but this time Pikachu kept its balance while some of the electricity on Pikachu's body transferred over to Haunter, paralyzing the Pokemon.

"Oh no, Haunter." Nathan exclaimed, trying to think of a way out of this.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Mari shouted, pointing at Haunter.

"Pika-chu!" It shouted, a single of bolt extending toward Haunter which the Ghost Pokemon failed to dodge, the one hit causing massive damage because of Haunter's low Defensive stats.

"Haunter, can you keep going?" Nathan asked as the Pokemon remained in the air slowly but surely descending to the ground.

"Pikachu, use Thundershock!" Mari shouted since Haunter was wide open for a finisher. Three separate bolts of electricity jumped toward Haunter, each other three approaching from a different angle.

"Haunter, use Shadow Punch to get away and then use Shadow Ball." Nathan said, watching his Ghost type disappear from sight once again to avoid the attacks. Haunter reappeared to Pikachu's left, landing a perfect jab with his right hand that sent Pikachu sliding across the ground, disrupting its Thundershock. Haunter clapped its hands together before separating them to reveal a growing purple orb.

"Pikachu, look out!" Mari said as Haunter fired the orb at Pikachu who still hadn't gotten back on its feet, taking the hit head on which created a cloud of black smoke around it. The crowd held their breath as the ref walked closer to the billowing smoke.

"Pika!" A bolt of electricity flew out the cloud of smoke, hitting the unsuspecting Haunter which prevented it from moving as the Thundershock attack finishing off the little bit of health it had left. The ref went to check Haunter this time, declaring Mari and Pikachu the winner after a quick check of Haunter.

"Yeah, we made it to the finals of the Rookie Kings Pikachu!" Mari shouted, rushing onto the field to collect her bruise covered Pikachu that happily accepted the hug.

"And Mari from Cherrygrove City trumps Nathan with an unexpected come back, taking her to the finals of the Rookie Kings!" The announcer stated, watching Mari leave the stadium so that the next match could start.

* * *

><p>"Alright people, Day 4, Match 2, Blake vs Robbie!" The announcer shouted, pointing down at the field where Blake stood in the red box, Robbie in the blue box.<p>

"It's about time we got to battle Blake." Robbie said, pointing at Blake with one hand, Croconaw's Poke-ball in his other hand. "I'll beat you first and then go to finals. Give me a good battle before you lose."

Blake remained silent, pick Kirlia's Poke-ball. "Alright then, let's go!"

"Trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted as both of them threw their Poke-ball onto the field using a basic throw. Kirlia and Croconaw appeared on the field with little damage done from the Clash. "Battle begin."

"Kirlia, use Magical Leaf!"

"Croconaw, use Water Gun!"

Blake watched as the dozens of multi colored leaves Kirlia had been firing at Croconaw were blasted away by Croconaw's Water Gun, preventing the Grass type attack from landing.

"Croconaw, use Bite." Robbie said now that Croconaw had kept away the last of the Magical Leaf attack. The Water Pokemon dashed forward Kirlia, ready to land the devastating Dark type attach that would be super effective again Kirlia.

"Kirlia, use Double Team and then follow up with Magical Leaf." Blake said as his trap sprung. Croconaw ran straight through one of the images of Kirlia, failing to land the Bite attack, but even worse was the fact that it was completely surrounded by Kirlia's that were already prepared to use Magical leave. "Attack!"

All ten Kirlia's fired the leaves forward Croconaw, but out of the hundred that were sent flying at Croconaw, only ten could cause actual damage.

"Croconaw, use Water Gun on the ground and push yourself into the air." Robbie yelled quickly. Croconaw hastily looked down at the ground, firing a stream of water at it to push itself into the air. Just in time since all the Magical Leaves narrowly missed the Water type. "Now hit all those Kirlia's until you find the real one!"

Croconaw fired its Water Gun at one Kirlia after another, but after hitting all ten, it turned out the real Kirlia wasn't part of that group.

"Kirlia, go!" Blake shouted.

"Croconaw, behind you!" Robbie shouted at his airborne Pokemon that hadn't seen Kirlia appear behind it, a Magical Leaf attack hovering above Croconaw. Kirlia swung its arms downward, the leaves dropping down onto Croconaw which sent the Alligator Pokemon to the ground. "Croconaw, are you alright?"

"Cro!" It said back, rising to its feet before giving him a thumbs up.

"Alright! That was well played Blake." Robbie said as Kirlia landed on the ground in front Blake. "But it's going to take a lot more than one Grass type attack to take down Croconaw."

"Then we'll hit you again." Blake said. "Kirlia, use Confusion to hold Croconaw in the air and then use Magical Leaf like we practiced."

Kirlia's eyes turned a bright blue as an outline of the same color formed around Croconaw, lifting it into the air as dozens of multi colored leaves appeared all over the field, aimed at Croconaw who was currently stuck in place.

"Croconaw, use Water Gun on the ground again to gain some height." Robbie shouted, hoping Croconaw could escape this all out attack.

Croconaw fired a Water Gun at the ground, but it remained at the same height it was at, not moving any higher.

"Go Kirlia!" The leaves shot forward, hitting Croconaw repeatedly for a few moments, eating away at its health with super effective hits. Once attack was finished, Kirlia threw Croconaw back at Robbie, the Pokemon hitting its trainer. Robbie and Croconaw fell to the ground, Croconaw's eyes replaced with black swirls which told the ref the battle was over.

"Croconaw is unable to battle, Kirlia is the winner." The ref said as Robbie looked down at Croconaw in shock. This was very first time he was beaten so badly even though he did his best. And now that he had replayed the match in his mind, he realized that he didn't even land a single hit on Blake's Kirlia.

The crowd cheered for Blake and Kirlia who were crossing the field, moving toward Robbie who still had yet to move. Blake put out his hand, offering to help Robbie up which he gladly accepted.

"Nice try." Blake said as they shook hands.

"Well Blake, till we meet again. But next time I'm gonna kick your ass!" Robbie shouted, returning Croconaw to its Poke-ball before running out the stadium like he hadn't even lost now that he had a new goal to add to his list.

"The Rookie Blake advances to the finals after yet another quick victory. There will be an hour long intermission before the finals so that our two finalists can prepare themselves." The announcer said, watching Blake leave the stadium, wonder who will win the final battle of the Rookie Kings.

* * *

><p>Mari, Blake and Robbie sat together on a bench outside the Battle Dome, Robbie and Mari munching on some snacks while Blake remained silent, his arms folded in front his chest, Larvitar on his shoulder.<p>

"Blake, you want some?" Mari asked, offering him a small bag of chips she picked up in the Poke-mart. Blake accepted and in under twenty five seconds the bag was empty which left Mari and Robbie shocked.

"So that just leaves the two of you. I was eliminated by Blake." Robbie said before turning to Mari with a smile. "Mari, kick his ass for me since I couldn't make it to the finals."

Mari smiled sheepishly, giving Robbie a nod.

"I believe it was luck of the draw." Blake said, looking up at the blue skies overhead.

"What?" Robbie asked, turning to Blake.

"If you were in the A Block and Mari was in the B Block, you'd be in the finals instead of her and I would've beaten her in the Semi-final." Blake explained.

"How are you so sure you'll beat me?" Mari asked.

"You'll find out when we battle." Blake said, giving her a thumbs down which succeeded in firing up her determination to beat him.

"That's it Blake, I'm gonna kick your ass in the finals!" Mari shouted, becoming the second person today to publicly declare that they were going to beat Blake.

"Oh yeah, I just remembered. Where were you at our debut Blake? We didn't see you battle that night with us." Robbie said, recalling the night of their Battle Circuit debut.

"Yeah, you weren't there." Mari joined in.

"I could tell you, but I don't feel like." Blake said with shrug, remembering the battles in Azalea Town that resulted in the evolution of Cyndaquil and Poliwag.

"Come on Blake, don't keep secrets." Mari whined, giving Blake a push.

"Don't worry Mari, I could always beat the answers out of Blake." Robbie said, cracking knuckles as he got up from the bench.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you." Blake said, watching Robbie throw a few sloppy jabs as a warm up.

"Why not, afraid of getting beat in front of a girl Blake." Robbie asked, getting nothing but a shrug from Blake. "Come on, get up so I can get some answers."

Blake got up with a sigh while Larvitar jumped off his shoulder to the bench where it watched with mild interest.

"Take this." Robbie threw a long straight at Blake, but Blake simply side stepped to his right while putting out his left foot which Robbie tripped over. Mari couldn't help but laugh at the fact that Robbie's ego was just popped.

"Is there anything else you'd like to do?" Blake asked, kneeling down next to him.

"That one doesn't count, I didn't warm up enough." Robbie said, throwing a few more jabs while mixing in a hook as Blake stood up straight, waiting for him to finish. "Alright, let's do this right."

Robbie threw an obvious left jab at Blake which he caught with his right hand, flicking Robbie's nose with his left hand which surprised Robbie, causing him to flinch. In the split second Robbie flinched, Blake put his left fist in front of Robbie's face, not bothering to actually punch him even though he had a clear shot.

"Checkmate." Blake said. Robbie narrowed his eyes.

"Please, it'd take a lot more than one punch from a skinny person like you to knock me out Blake." Robbie said with a smirk.

"Shall we test that theory?" Blake asked, giving Robbie a small smile when he nodded with confidence that he could take the punch.

Blake straightened his stance and landed a devastating left hook to Robbie's jaw, knocking him clean off his feet. Mari stared mouth a gap as Robbie landed on the ground with a thud, remaining completely still.

"Overconfidence killed the Robbie." Blake said, putting his hands in his pockets again, heading back to the Battle Dome.

"Hey, Blake shouldn't we-" Mari began but was cut off by the announcer's voice coming from the stadium.

"Attention Blake from New Bark Town and Mari from Cherrygrove City, report to the main stadium. The final match will be beginning to shortly. And if you're not there, you forfeit the match."

Mari was going to help Robbie, but she was not about to forfeit the match, leaving Robbie on the empty sidewalk, unconscious.

**Main Stadium**

Mari felt guilty for leaving Robbie on the side walk, but forfeiting the match was not an option nor was she going to let an unfortunate mishap cause her to forfeit.

"Did you plan that?" Mari asked in whisper to Blake who standing next to her.

"Plan what?"

"The whole Robbie thing." She said.

"What?"

"You know, I'd waste time helping him and miss the match."

"No. It's just fun bursting someone's ego when it gets over inflated." Blake explained with his usual blank expression.

"What about your ego?" Mari asked with a snort.

"What ego?" Blake asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

"And now we'll be interviewing our two finalists." The announcer said, going up to Mari first. "So Mari, how do you feel making it to the finals, and what do you think of your opponent."

"Well I'm really excited right now. I made it through a bunch of tough battles to get this far and now I want win the whole thing." Mari began. "As for my opponent, I plan to crush him even though you all can tell that he's really strong."

"Strong indeed. Blake has had nothing but one sided victories from Top 32 to the Finals. What do you think of your final match Blake?" The announcer asked, moving over to Blake now.

"This may be the Finals, but I plan to continue my streak no matter who the trainer is." Blake said into the mic.

"Do you have anything to say to that Mari?" The announcer turned to Mari after she gave him nod.

"You're going down." She said, giving Blake a thumbs down which got a glare from him at the use of his taunts.

"Alright then, let's get this match underway!" The announcer shouted, pumping his right fist into the air.

Blake and Mari split up, heading to the box they would be standing in for the battle. Mari was in the red box for A Block and Blake was in the Blue Box for the B Block.

"Trainers are you ready?" The ref asked through the mic he had received for the final match. Blake and Mari gave him a nod as the crowd became quiet. "Clash!"

Blake and Mari threw their Poke-balls onto the field, both using basic throw which distributed an even amount of damage to Mari's Eevee and Quilava.

"Battle begin!"

"Quilava-" Blake began.

"Eevee-" Mari started.

"Use Quick Attack!" They shouted together as both their Pokemon charged forward, entering a speed duel. Quilava and Eevee raced around the field leaving a white streak behind themselves as they moved, trying to hit the other while they were open, but neither could gain the upper hand. Quilava and Eevee's foreheads met with a thud, neither of them backing down.

"Eevee, jump back and use Secret Power!" Mari ordered. The small brown Pokemon jumped back from Quilava, becoming enveloped in a white halo as dozens of tiny clear orbs jumped out the ground around Quilava, completely surrounding it.

"Quilava, use Flame Wheel and hold that spot you're in." Blake said quickly realizing the attack had Quilava cornered if it couldn't defend itself.

Quilava became engulfed in spinning flames that completely covered its body as it hovered it place. The orbs shot forward, but as they hit the Flame Wheel, they were sent flying in different directions which prevented Quilava from taking any damage.

"Now attack!" Blake yelled. Quilava shot forward, rushing toward Eevee who was still covered in the white aura from using Secret Power.

"Eevee, dodge with Quick Attack!"

Eevee rushed off to its left, narrowly avoiding Quilava.

"Quilava, keep going." Blake said as Quilava made a quick U-turn, chasing after Eevee, turning the battle into a fight between a matador and the bull. Eevee had the advantage in speed at the moment so dodging wasn't the problem, the problem was that Quilava continued to attack relentlessly giving them no time to strike back.

'This isn't going anywhere. Quilava can turn around so fast that Eevee doesn't even get the chance to prepare another attack to counter the Flame Wheel.' Mari said to herself.

Eevee jumped to the left, avoiding yet another attack from Quilava who turned around instantly, but this is what Blake had been waiting for.

"Quilava, switch to the Pyro Quick Attack." Blake said now that Eevee was in a straight shot from Quilava. Quilava broke out the flames, the red dome forming around it as it raced toward Eevee, leaving a red streak while the critics in the crowd watched with anticipation to see what the unknown move was capable of.

"Eevee, dodge it!" Mari shouted but it was too late. Quilava struck Eevee head on, inflicting a Burn status on the Pokemon while causing some heavy damage to Eevee. "Eevee!"

Eevee slid across the ground for a few moments before stopping, its teeth grit as it grunted, the Burn status taking effect. Eevee quickly got to its feet, ready to continue while telling Mari it can keep going.

"Alright then, use Secret Power again!" Mari yelled, trying to think of a creative trap to spring on Blake. The flames on Eevee's fur was dispersed and replaced by the white aura, another wave of clear orbs jumping out the ground around Quilava who was ready and waiting.

"Quilava, use Flame Wheel again." Blake said.

Quilava became surrounded in spinning flames that knocked away the clear orbs from Secret Power.

'I was hoping we could practice this a bit more to make sure Eevee isn't too tired after it, but nothing else can break that Flame Wheel. For Cherrygrove City.' Mari said to herself mentally. "Eevee, condense the Secret Power below Quilava and bring it up."

"Eii!" Eevee shouted as the white flare grew in size around it as the ground below Quilava began to glow in a white color.

"Quilava! Move!" Blake shouted, realizing that was about to happen, but as his command flew out his mouth, a white pillar shot up from ground below Quilava, obliterating its Flame Wheel while causing massive damage to the Fire type Pokemon.

"Eevee, get it with Quick Attack."

"Quilava, use Ember to keep yourself in the air." Blake said, taking note of how the flames coming from Quilava's head and bottom grew in size which meant Blaze had become active.

Quilava shook its head a few times before releasing a powerful burst of flames from its mouth, keeping it airborne while Eevee raced across the field, preparing to jump at Quilava when the flames cut off its direct path.

"Quilava, use Ember to give yourself a sideways spin." Blake said now that Quilava was beginning to drop toward Eevee was waiting. Quilava turned to its head sideways, releasing a stream of flames that began to turn its body, the flames spinning around Quilava like a vortex as it dropped toward Eevee who jumped at Quilava, aiming to meet it halfway.

Mari would've given Eevee a new command if it wasn't for the fact that both Pokemon were now on their final leg meaning whoever was worse off would be the one to fall in this clash.

Robbie burst into the stands in a full sprint, hoping that he made it in time to see the rest of the final match.

"I can't believe they left me on the sidewalk!" He mumbled to himself angrily as he made it to the balcony to get a view of the battle field.

Eevee and Quilava met with a burst of flames before Eevee was sent flying to the ground, covered in several burns while its eyes were small black swirls. Quilava landed with a grunt, barely keeping its balance as the ref checked Eevee even though the result was obvious.

"The winner is Quilava and Blake!" He shouted, raising the blue flag which got a huge roar from the crowd at the finish of a good battle.

"And the final match of the Rookie Kings Tournament concludes with an epic clash between two strong Pokemon. After a long grueling tournament, this Rookie King has ascended to his throne and his name is Blake!" The announcer shouted over the cheers, watching Blake run onto the field to pick up his tired Quilava.

"Nice Quilava. Nice." Blake said, rubbing the Pokemon on the head to calm its nerves before lifting it off the ground and placing it on his head. After it evolved, Quilava had become too big to hand on Blake's shoulder, but he made an exception for today.

Mari was sitting next to Eevee, the small brown Pokemon in her lap as she hugged it tightly.

"We almost did it Eevee." Mari whispered to the tired Pokemon that had already reawaked.

"Ee-vee." It said to her, licking her cheek with its small tongue before both its ears perked up. Mari looked up to see an out stretched hand waiting for her to take it.

"That was good battle. You almost had me right before the ending." Blake commented. Mari gratefully accepted his hand, rising to her feet while holding Eevee in one arm.

"You may of beaten me now Blake, but next time I'll be the winner." Mari said with a smile, blinking back a few tears. They shook hands and before Mari exited the stadium, leaving Blake and Quilava to receive their final interview.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review! I understand that the Rookie Kings didn't have much going on, but this is all build up to the big stuff if you think the start was slow. I'm just starting the next chapter because I spent a lot of time revising these battles to make them right since I had to do five in row, even though they were short. Starting with the next chapter, a lot of stuff is going to unfold so stay tuned because it'll get interesting.<strong>


	14. Connections Pt 1

Chapter 14

**Goldenrod Battle Dome **

**Lobby**

After his interview about his triumph in the Rookie Kings, Blake was told that he could collect his prize money in the lobby, but Blake had not intention of keeping it or using it. He just need a bit of it to get food and Potions, other than that, he didn't need any money since he never slept in hotels or motels.

"Congratulations on winning in the Rookie Kings. I presume you're here to collect the prize money?" Nurse Joy asked as she gave Blake her attention.

"No." Blake stated. "Send it the Cherrygrove account."

"All of it?" She asked, raising both her eyebrows at Blake.

"Yep." He replied with a nod while handing her Quilava and Kirlia's Poke-ball to heal them. "They need it more than I do."

Nurse Joy collected his Poke-balls and dropped them into the Restoration Machine.

"What a kind soul you are." She said with a smile, but that only received a blank stair from Blake. "Your Pokemon should be fully healed in about an hour."

"Thanks." Blake responded in a deadpan, turning on his heels to head toward the exit of the Battle Dome.

**5/25/0046/Noon**

**Route 35**

At first when he was leaving Goldenrod City, Blake was walking along side a busy highway but after a short period of time, the noise from passing vehicles began to annoy him which resulted in him abandoning his plan of following the highway to Ecruteak Cit. Instead, Blake said he find his way through the forested area.

"Ah, this is better. Just like New Bark Town." Blake said out loud, looking up at the sky with a breath of fresh of air.

_ROOOOOOAAR!_

Blake glanced in the direction of the loud roar, taking note of the a large tidal wave the rose above the tree line before crashing down onto the area not too far from where he was standing.

'Hmm, I wonder what's going on over there.' Blake said to himself, beginning to move toward the source of the action.

After about a minute, the trees that surrounded Blake opened up into a large clearing where an enormous lake was located, one enraged Gyarados's launching Water type attacks at a single girl who was screaming for help as she ran from it in a full sprint.

Blake couldn't explain why but the female brunette seemed similar to him. She was just a few inches shorter than him, a straw hat on her head with an opening for her long brown hair which was up in a pony tail.

She wore a one piece dress that stopped mid thigh, with an ocean gradient as the color scheme, going from white to dark blue from the top of the dress to the bottom in a wave like pattern. Beneath the dress was pair of blue bike shorts that matched the dark blue on the bottom of her dress.

She had her eyes shut as she raced along the dirt path, completely unaware of the fact that Blake had stepped into her path.

Blake was glued to the spot he was standing in, trying to recall where he knew this face from before she crashed into him head first. The two wound up on the ground, the girl seated on Blake's stomach with Blake on his back.

The girl opened her eyes, beginning to apologize, but she stopped mid sentence to observe Blake.

"Blake-kun!" She screamed happily, grabbing him by his neck to give him a tight hug which he didn't return. Blake was far more focused on the Gyarados that was towering over them with a dark glare. Gyarados opened its mouth, water falling off its lips which was a sign of what was coming next.

Blake rudely shoved her off of him to his left before barrel rolling to his right, allowing both them to avoid the huge stream of pressurized water Gyarados spat from its mouth like a cannon. In a moment's notice, Blake was on his feet, two Poke-balls in his hands which he tossed into the air, releasing Kirlia and Larvitar.

"Alright guys, get ready." Blake said to the duo as the large Water Snake Pokemon opened its mouth once again, this time a huge orange beam exiting the Pokemon's mouth, rushing toward the group. "Break up!"

The group split, all of the moving out of the way as the beam of energy blew apart the area of the ground it hit, debris going everywhere.

"Kirlia, use Magical Leaf and focus on its body. Larvitar, use Rock Throw and aim at its face!" Blake ordered, now that Gyarados needed a moment to regain the energy lost from using Hyper Beam so recklessly.

Larvitar ripped a stone out of the ground, hurling it a Gyarados' head while Kirlia launched a variety of colored leaves at Gyarados's body.

Gyarados flinched when the rock hit its face, leaving it open to the Magical Leaf attack from Kirlia, the leaves raining down on its body which caused the Pokemon to roar in pain, launching a loose Hydro Pump from its mouth which was on course to hit Larvitar.

"Kirlia, use Confusion on that Hydro Pump. Larvitar, break the attack using the Modified Dark Pulse" Blake ordered, watching Kirlia focus its attention on the approaching attack. A blue outline formed around the Hydro Pump, halting its advance on Larvitar just a few feet in front of the Rock type Pokemon. Larvitar smirked, seeing that the Water attack could cause any harm to it now and proceeded to charge up a Dark Pulse over its head.

Gyarados stared at its frozen attack, wondering why it had suddenly stopped before noticing a black blur quickly approaching it through the water it had just ejected from its mouth. Gyarados was knocked backward by the force of the attack, crashing down onto the lake which created a large splash of water.

"Kirlia, wrap this up with another Magical Leaf attack." Blake said, getting a nod from the Psychic Pokemon before it raised both his thin arms into the air. A horde of leaves appeared above the water where Gyarados had fallen backward.

Kirlia swung its arms downward, the leaves falling down onto Gyarados which finished off the rest of its health, leaving the Pokemon unconscious.

"Nice guys." Blake said, giving both the Pokemon a thumbs up.

"Blake-kun! You've become such a great trainer since the last time I saw you." The girl exclaimed, tackling Blake in another hug. Blake lost his footing from the unexpected hug, both of them falling onto the ground together again.

Blake returned the girl's innocent stare, an unexplainable blush creeping onto his cheeks as he looked into her bright, silver eyes that were lighter than his own.

"Aww Blake-kun, you're blushing. That's so cute." She said playfully, poking his nose which got a huge roar of laughter from Blake's normally quiet Pokemon.

Blake remained silent, lost in her eyes for a few moments before reality struck him. He found himself struggling to breathe, and that was when he noticed that she was pinching his nose. The blush instantly cleared up as Blake abruptly stood up knocking the girl off of him, his usual dark expression returning to his face.

"Who are you?" He asked in a deadpan, staring at her with a stoic expression in attempt to cover up the nervous wreck he was underneath his cover. 'Why's my heart beating so fast? That never happens unless I'm battling someone.'

"Don't be silly Blake-kun. You know me very well." She replied, rising to her feet as well.

"No. I don't." Blake replied before glancing at Kirlia and Larvitar who were trying to hold back another fit of laughter. Blake gave the two of them harsh glare that both were immune to, which left Blake the option of returning them to their Poke-balls which he did while mumbling several sentence under his breath.

"Come Blake-kun, you know me. It's me Lana." She said, pointing to herself with a smile.

"No." Blake stated, briskly walking past her so that he could get some distance and begin sorting out his thoughts.

"Wait!" She said loudly, grabbing onto Blake's arm which sent blood rushing to his cheeks again, coloring them in light pink. "You don't remember me Blake?"

"No, I don't. Now let go of me." Blake responded, refusing to look at her in the eyes. Lana released her hold on his arm, much to Blake's relief, but then she moved in front of him, focusing on his face now. Blake looked up at the sky, trying to hide his red cheeks from her, but Lana resorted to pushing him down to the ground again, taking a seat on his stomach to get a decent view of his face.

"You're sure you don't remember me?" She asked on final time, lowering her face down to his.

"I have no idea who you are." Blake replied once more, looking away from her eyes. Lana took a hold of his face, forcing him to look her.

"How could you forget your fiancé Blake?"

"My what?"

**Indigo Plateau**

"So Shari, how did things go with Blake and Grace?" Stanly asked, hoping for a positive update.

"They're both progressing quickly." Shari replied, looking up at her senior Committee Member who was seated next to the Commissioner of the Pokemon Committee.

"And what of Team Rocket?" The Commissioner asked, peering of the ledge of the high position he was seated in.

"I'm not perfectly sure, but I've been hearing a lot about a new operation they're beginning to put in action. It's still in the early stages so I couldn't get much else on it, but I'm sure it has something to do with the Kimono Girls in Ecruteak City." Shari explained.

"The Kimono Girls. Those girls and that city hold many of the secrets of Johto." The Commissioner said to himself before glancing at Stanly who was seated next to him. "Stanly, I want you to personally guard those girls. Team Rocket is quickly becoming a greater threat in Johto than we planned on and those girls have become one of their targets."

"Is there anything else you have to say Shari?" Stanly asked her, receiving a no from her.

"Good, you are dismissed." The Commissioner said, motioning for her to go. Shari gave him a quick bow before exiting the room in a rush, glad to leave the Commissioner's presence.

"So Stanly, what's your take on this?" The Commissioner asked, turning to the young man.

"My take?" Stanly began. "Team Rocket isn't just an organization going around the region causing mayhem. They've been targeting certain areas of the Region that have one thing in common."

"Oh really. And what might that be?"

"The Equalizers."

"The Equalizers. Of course, but that means their trying to use that method created during the Dark Days." The Commissioner said as realization dawned on him. "What a bad time for the King to disappear. Come Stanly, we must continue preparing for what lays a head."

"Yes sir." Stanly said ominously, offering the elderly man a hand to help him up from his seat.

**Route 35**

"My what?" Blake repeated, unsure if his ears heard the words that had left her mouth properly.

"I'm your fiancé. Don't you remember, it was just before you disappeared that we agreed on this." Lana said to the confused Blake who did nothing more than blink several times.

"Alright, I just realized something, you're crazy." Blake said as he removed her from on top of him, rising up from the ground.

"But Blake, it's true." She said desperately, closing her arms around his ankles as Blake stood up.

"Do you mind?" Blake asked, looking down at her with a blank stare.

"I'm not letting go until you admit that I'm your fiancé." She said childishly, tightening her grip around his ankles. Blake looked away from her face, finding her frustrated expression kind of cute which only left him baffled at these feelings that he could normally block out with ease.

Blake began to walk, taking the largest step he could with a girl attached to both his legs. After travelling for about twenty minutes, Blake sighed at the fact that he had only moved about ten yards, the Gyarados he had beaten floating past him faster than he was moving.

"Alright, what will it take to get you let go of me?" Blake asked, getting a huge smile from Lana since this is what she always resorted to this if she wanted something from Blake when they were younger.

"Come with me to Ecruteak City. I'm sure if you see Yumi or Nozomi that'll cure your amnesia." Lana said, still hanging onto his legs in case he was trying to make an escape.

"Fine." He said with a shrug. He was on his way to Ecruteak City anyway, not to mention it seemed like Lana could take the word persistent to a whole new level if he continued to deny her of whatever she was requesting.

"Yay!" Lana said happily, throwing her arms around Blake to give him another hug. "Come on, let's go."

**5/25/0046/Night**

**Route 35**

"Poliwhirl, dodge it and use Water Gun." Blake said, as he and Poliwhirl jumped to the side, avoiding a small burst of flames from the Growlithe they were currently battling.

"Growlithe, dodge and use Bite!" Growlithe's trainer shouted as the Fire type jumped to the right, narrowly avoiding the super effective Water attack.

Growlithe ran forward, rushing toward Poliwhirl who Blake had ordered to stand still and get ready. Lana stared at Blake who had given the battle his full attention, a serious expression on his face which Lana rarely saw on the boy during their childhood.

'Blake-kun sure does look cool when he's like that.' Lana noted dreamily. 'He was never like that back then.'

"Poliwhirl, catch Growlithe's head and lean back." Blake said, the rest of the movement self explanatory.

As Growlithe pounced at Poliwhirl who was beginning to lean back, two white hands lacking fingers except for the thumbs grabbed Growlithe's head. Poliwhirl, being the flexible Pokemon it was, leaned back, creating an arch with its own body while smashing Growlithe into the ground head first.

Growlithe's eyes changed into black swirls, signifying the end of the battle.

"Nice Poliwhirl." Blake said, watching the blue Pokemon that was beating its stomach with its fist over its latest victory.

'Blake-kun sure is different from how he used to before he disappeared that night.' Lana said to herself with a yawn, waving to the trainer Blake had just beaten since he was leaving.

Blake glanced over at Lana who gave him a wave and a smile when their eyes met. Blake turned away, focusing on edge of the lake where several Poliwag's had been watching Poliwhirl battle. It appeared as though Poliwhirl had some fans now since the Poliwag's had crowded around it, cheering for it.

"Are we going to set up camp here Blake-kun? It's getting pretty late." Lana asked, rising from the ground.

"Yeah, I guess." Blake said, dropping his backpack to the ground. Lana had walked past him, heading toward the edge of the lake they had stopped by. Lana had abandoned her straw hat, leaving it by her backpack as she decided to approach the Poliwag's.

As she neared them, most of them spared her a glance before leaping back into the lake, leaving Poliwhirl to return to Blake. Lana sighed loudly before smiling as she looked out at the lake that was reflecting the moon above. Reaching up for the piece of cloth that held her hair in a pony tail, Lana quickly untied the knot, pulling the cloth away from her hair with right hand allowing her hair to tumble down to her shoulders.

Staring at her, Blake took note of something glowing on her right wrist, something had seen before. Two pointed ovals were just below her wrist, with that looked like the horizon of an ocean glowing in a cyan color.

'Just like me...' Blake noted mentally before he made eye contact with Lana. Blake's heart skipped a beat as he became mesmerized by Lana's beauty. That cheerful exterior he had seen all day was gone, being replaced by a majestic female who gave him a soft smile before returning gaze toward the lake, hair blowing a bit from the soft breeze.

'What the hell!' Blake screamed mentally, grabbing his head with both hands. 'Something's wrong with me. No one has ever been able to get under my skin so easily.'

Blake quietly set up his hammock, running down the now spiraling list that was his emotions and thoughts.

Lana looked at Blake, failing to hold back a smile at the fact that even though some of his memory was missing, he was still obsessed with sleeping in a hammock.

'Blake. The world scene is changing and you're the center of everything. I need to get you back to Ecruteak City and find Grace before the Storm starts.' Lana said mentally, looking down at her left wrist where a two pointed ovals were located with a what looked like an ocean wave beneath it.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for taking so long with this update, it took me forever to finally think that this scene was worth putting, and that's when the faulty wi-fi connection I've been using descides to go down.<strong>

**So as you can see, the slowly building plot is becoming more visible. The next chapter will go further into Blake's mysterious past and the plot line, so expect some action.**


	15. Connections Pt 2

**Revised.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 15<p>

**5/27/0046/Midday**

**Route 37**

"Ah, here we are!" Lana exclaimed happily, pointing downward toward an object that wasn't Blake's field of vision. Completing his trip to the top of the tall hill, Blake found what Lana was pointing at to be a set of large red wooden gates at the border of a large thriving city.

The entire landscape below was eerily familiar to Blake as stared down at the traditional metropolis. Unlike cities like Goldenrod or Olivine, it wasn't urbanized. Every building resembled the old Shinto style housing that was used specifically in this city throughout the Old Days. The city was surrounded by a tall red wall, with three gates to exit at the west, east and south. As he observed the city, Blake could see that the whole thing was divided up into four districts by two intersecting roads that traveled through the center of the city. Orange colored pagoda trees were inside and outside the city, giving it the feeling as if it were fall year round.

But what instantly caught his attention was two buildings, one of them being of great height and prominence during the Old Days which it still had today. This one was know as Bell Tower, once believed to harbor a Legendary Pokemon, but the theory had been discarded at the end of the Dark Days since all Legendary Pokemon had disappeared. The other building was the same height as the regular buildings in the city, but it area is covered was much larger with a low wall surrounding the property. Obviously it was some kind of compound for some of high stature in the town.

Blake felt a shiver run down his spine as several pictures flashed through his mind. He could see a dark silhouette leading a small boy by the hand. He could see the same boy seated underneath the shade of a pagoda tree, staring up at the leaves that were being blown about in the wind. He could see a group of five tall female shaped silhouettes standing in front of the gates of a large house, their arms outstretched as if to welcome him.

"Blake-kun, where are you going!" Lana called out as he took off in a full sprint, racing down the hill toward the city gates.

**Ecruteak City**

Blake entered the city, using the main round that was crowded with citizens were dressed their traditional garbs. Hastily making his way through the crowded street without actually bumping into anyone, Blake couldn't hold back a smile from forming on his face. Everything felt so familiar to him, the clothing, the city, the vibe of the area. It was like he had lived here all his life.

"Blake, don't run off like that." Lana whined as she caught up with him, taking a moment to catch her breath. Blake had stopped earlier in front of the pathway leading off to a small side street, away from the shopping areas that were located on the main roads which gave Lana some time to catch up with him.

Staring at the side street, Blake's mind was becoming filled with scenes he had never seen before. Once again he saw that same boy with a Pokemon on his head, happily trotting along on this very road.

Blake took off again, leaving a exasperated Lana to call out for him as he left her for the second time. He wasn't going crazy...was he? There had to be a reason why he was seeing all these images.

**Kimono Girls Estate**

This large compound was the one Blake had seen from the hill. The number of people it housed in comparison to its size was awkward. Only six girls lived inside this home, and four of them were currently away, one was tending to the house to make sure it remained tidy, and the last one was about to return with Blake.

A young woman held a small watering can, dressed in a red kimono with a repetitive white flower petal design. Quietly humming a tune for the small purple Pokemon beside her, she was happy to finally to stop wearing the make up that the elders of the city made her and her sisters wear during the winter, but once spring arrived, it was no longer necessary. But on the downside, she was expected to keep her long black hair tied up into a tight bun.

She was accompanied by the Pokemon of the estate as she watered the flowers near the entrance of the compound. You could say the small Pokemon was its protect with its vicious bit and powerful headbutt.

Just then, a panting Blake charged into the estate, coming to a skidding halt. The girl watering the plants came to a stop, frozen in place as she stared at Blake who spotted her as well. He was about to request her name when his gaze shifted to the small Pokemon beside which he was staring at him oddly. It was then that Blake's mind, body and cool exterior betrayed him as a whole new feeling completely overpowered his character.

"Ryuu-chan!" Blake shouted almost childishly upon recognizing the Dragon type Pokemon. Hearing the name that only one person addressed it by, the small Pokemon found itself getting crushed in a hug by Blake who pressed his cheek against its own.

"Blake-kun?" The sound of the tin watering can hitting the ground brought Blake back to his senses, this resulting in him immediately releasing his hold on the Dragon type Pokemon, allowing it to drop to the ground.

"What the hell!" Blake shouted, staring down at his hands as if they had been soiled. He could only wonder what had caused him to suddenly want to _hug_ something.

"Blake-kun? Is that you?" The woman asked one again, stepping toward him.

Blake only spared her a glance before his usual glare set in.

"How do you know my name?" He asked, directing his sharp gaze at the girl.

"It's me Blake. Your onee-chan." She said, motioning to herself.

"Onee-chan?" Blake muttered. That word sounded very familiar to him, but he couldn't place his finger on it. "I don't even know what that means. And I don't know who you are either...I just thought this place looked familiar. Anyway, I'll be going now."

Blake turned around, slowly beginning to move toward the exit of the compound before he felt a slight tug at his pants. Looking down, he found the same Pokemon he had _hugged_ latched onto his calve, trying to hold him back.

"Ba!" It called out, refusing to let go.

"Blake!" The woman shouted, getting a rather irritated groan from the boy. Deciding to turn around an assure her that he didn't know her, Blake felt his shoulder go numb.

Next there was hard strike to the side of his torso that sent a jolt through his body before he felt limp. He could only support himself on his right leg, but before he question the woman's actions verbally, he found her finger tips pressing against the center of his chest.

In a split second she closed her hand into a fist, smashing it into Blake's chest which sent him flying backward into the trunk of one of the pagoda trees next to the entrance/exit of the compound. Blake groaned as he landed on his bottom, trying to figure out how she made the left side of his body unresponsive.

"Knock him out Bagon!" She shouted to the small Pokemon that had risen beside Blake, climbing onto his body. Blake stared at the Pokemon before cursing mentally when he found that his Poke-balls were all on the left side the belt. The darn thing would never stay in one place whenever he stared running.

The Bagon that was now standing on Blake's chest, face to face with him, leaned back a bit before hitting Blake on the forehead with its own, a deafening thud marking the two of their heads meeting. Bagon waited a moment before it felt Blake fall backward, resting against the Pagoda tree now, out cold from the hit to his head.

"Good job Bagon." She said, approaching the small Pokemon who was now studying Blake, checking out how much the boy had grown up since the last time it had seen him before the fire. "Sorry about that Blake-kun, but we can't afford for you to disappear a second time."

A few moments later, Lana entered the compound, gasping for air after losing Blake a several minutes before.

"What'd you...do to him Yumi?" Lana asked in between deep breaths of air.

"Making sure he doesn't leave us a second time." She replied, watching Bagon poke Blake's cheek with the tiny stub that acted as its arm.

"Ba?" It asked, looking up at Yumi.

"I'm sure he'll be happy to see you when he wakes up." Yumi said, giving the small Pokemon a pat on the head. "Lana, help me take him into one of the bedrooms. And give a call to my sisters. Tell them that Blake-kun has returned."

* * *

><p>"It's nice to see you all again." Yumi said plainly, looking at the five other girls in the room with her. Four of them were dressed exactly like her with a minor color chance to the kimono they were wearing. "Rei, Nozomi, Miyu, Hiroko, Lana."<p>

The group of six sat in a semi-circle around Blake who was resting on the floor, unconscious.

The serious atmosphere in the room was dropped when five of the six girls enveloped each other in a group hug, happy to see each other after their long separation.

"It's so good to see you all again." Yumi said as they separated, observing her three younger sisters that went by the name of Rei, Hiroko and Miyu and her one older sister Nozomi.

"So you found him Yumi. Figures since you spent the most time with him." Rei mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"I can't help it if children are naturally drawn to me. I'm a nice person compared to the rest of you." Yumi replied with an innocent smile, getting a scoff from everyone in the room that was awake.

"So how've you guys been doing?" Miyu asked kindly, looking toward her sisters who had left the compound to search for Blake years before.

"Well as you can see, the five people who left for several years had a fruitless search while the one person who stayed back in Ecruteak City had Blake-kun show up on the doorstep." Hiroko stated, sounding slightly annoyed by the outcome of multiple years of searching across the Johto Region.

"Actually, _I_ found him on Route 35." Lana interjected, pointing to herself with her thumb.

"We can argue about who found him for hours, but we finally have him back. We're still searching for Grace, but Blake comes first." Nozomi cut in, ending their argument before they could start. Everyone became quiet, fearing Nozomi's wrath. "So is there anything we should know about him Lana?"

"He's suffering from amnesia. He can't remember any of us, or anything about the Crests." Lana informed them of Blake's dilemma.

"Amnesia…no wonder he was acting so strange when he saw me." Yumi mumbled out loud, looking up in thought to recall what had happened earlier today.

"We have to restore his memory. His Crest is incomplete." Lana stated, motioning to his right wrist.

"The completion of his Crest doesn't matter right now, the Johto Legendaries have yet to make their choices with the exception of Grace and Lana. His Crest will reform eventually, even if he doesn't get back his memory." Nozomi explained calmly. "Now that we've found Blake, we should focus on search for Grace now."

"But I think we should give him back his memory. Even though his Crest will be reformed, he won't know how to do a thing without his memory." Miyu reasoned tentatively.

"Yeah, I agree." Lana chimed in. "I want my Blake-kun back."

"Fine, we'll go by a majority vote." Nozomi said, lowering her head and shutting her eyes. "All who want Blake-kun to receive his memory."

Everyone except Nozomi rose their hand.

"Nozomi. We all know you want him back too." Hiroko said, giving her older sister a narrow glance with a smirk.

Nozomi sighed and rose her hand as well, causing the rest of the girls to cheer happily.

"Yeah, let's bring back Blake-kun!" Lana declared, getting a nod from the Kimono Girls who motioned for her to step away. This process required that no one interfere or else they could be trapped within Blake's subconscious for the rest of their lives.

Nozomi, being the oldest, sat before Blake's head, placing both her hands on his forehead. Yumi, Hiroko, Rei and Miyu star around Blake's torso, placing their hands on his chest, one on top the other.

"Are you guys ready?" Nozomi asked, looking at her younger sisters who gave her one collective nod.

Nozomi closed her eyes as did her sisters, a blue halo igniting around their hands. Nozomi felt her stomach drop as she was pulled into Blake's mindscape set.

Her entire perspective changed from that of room within their compound with her sisters to a long black corridor that was filled with numerous doorways. While she couldn't find a light source, Nozomi could see in the dense darkness since she appeared to be the light source.

'It's so dark.' Nozomi noted as she observed how Blake kept himself organized.

Beginning her trip down the corridor, Nozomi came to a stop at the first door which possessed a white outline to tell her where the doorknob was located. She threw open the door without a second thought, peering inside to see what the room held. As she stepped in, her heart began to raced. Each of the walls besides the one where the door was built into had a scene being projected of Blake battling numerous trainers. She could tell that he was battling in the Goldenrod Battle Dome based the unique design of the Battle Dome.

'My hearts speeding up. Why?' Nozomi asked herself, trying to figure out what could possibly make her feel like this. 'It almost feels like I'm nervous about something…Oh, I get it. I can see and feel how Blake feels during different events."

Nozomi left the room to test her theory which was true. Her heart rate slowed down upon her exit. Thus began Her trip through Blake's memories starting from his most recent events. From room to room she traveled, seeing Blake's Pokemon journey from his current point all the way back to when he received his Cyndaquil from Professor Elm.

As she finished exploring Blake's life as a Pokemon trainer on a journey to become the best, Nozomi was worried about Blake's emotional activity, or lack of it. All she really felt from the boy was the various things that angered him, disappointment in himself and a kind of nervous excitement that comes on whenever he was in a Pokemon a battle. Although she had to credit Lana for making him so uncomfortable during their first meeting.

But the most emotion she had gotten out of the boy was when he was in Azalea Town. He had stumbled onto Jerry's family who had been attacked and injured by Team Rocket. Anger was definitely the first thing that Nozomi felt, anger that was directed at Teak Rocket for making these innocent people suffer. Following that he directed his own anger at himself for failing in his duties. The moment Blake accepted the job of helping the Committee members with the issue in Azalea Town, Blake felt as though he had to protect everyone in the city from getting heart. He was upset with himself for failing to do that.

All of that put together directed a lot of Blake's fury toward Team Rocket. He wanted to a chance to strike them down for what they've done. That anger was lying in wait for that moment where Blake could hit Team Rocket with all his strength and cripple them.

Nozomi had to admit, she was worried about Blake being so involved with Team Rocket and the Committee. All that anger was sure to get him into trouble, especially if it continues to build.

With a mental note to check on the boy set firmly in her mind, Nozomi moved onto the part of Blake's childhood which he spent in the New Bark Town orphanage. She watched as Blake went back in years until he was about the age of nine, but he displayed none of the natural affection children his age could normally give off with ease. Trust, love...they were non existent in the boy.

"How did he end up in New Bark Town? That's what we need to know." Nozomi said as she stepped back into the hallway, looking down the corridor where there were still many doors to go surrounding Blake's childhood.

Nozomi briskly walked down the hallway. She would have to skip a few doors if she planned to figure out how Blake got to New Bark Town. As she moved the the hallways at a semi-fast pace, Nozomi hit an unseen wall which put her on her bottom.

"Ouch." She said, holding her nose as she looked up to see what she had bumped into. 'Huh?'

The rest of the hallway Nozomi was looking at was hazy and hard to look at, an invisible wall blocking her off from venturing into the hazy area.

Nozomi turned to her right, looking at the one door that she was still able to enter.

'Maybe this will shed some light.' Nozomi muttered to herself as she entered the room.

The room was drastically different from all the others in the fact that two of the three walls were in shambles, scattered all over the floor. Only one screen was projecting an image, an image of a boy that Nozomi recognized.

* * *

><p><em>A small boy, no older than five slowly rose up from the pile of trash bags he was resting on, rubbing his eyes. It took a while for his eyes to become focused, but when he did, he found himself in unfamiliar surroundings. It was pouring rain, the ground was soaked along with his cloths and he couldn't stop his hair from falling down in front of his eyes.<em>

_"Hello?" He called out, looking around the two tall buildings he was resting in between of. He didn't know where he was...or what he was doing there. All he had in mind was a name, and one statement._

_'You were abandoned...'_

_The small boy nervously shuffled out of the alleyway he had been sleeping in before quickly returning when a car zoomed by followed by multiple police officers on motorcycles. Once the noise had passed, he left the alleyway a second time to take a look at the buildings from the front. Flashing neon lights were in every direction, and he could here what sounded like a couple screaming at each from one of the open windows above._

_The statement changed. 'Your family abandoned you...'_

_His attention was drawn to a door not to far away from him which was opened abruptly before a small green creature was thrown out of the building. "I can't believe I wasted money on a Pokemon like this. You're not even worth the trouble of trading to someone else." A male voice muttered before slamming the door, leaving the small green Pokemon to rest on the street for a moment before it hastily ran onto the sidewalk to avoid getting hit by another car._

_Hiding inside the alleyway, the boy peaked out to observe the green Pokemon that was headed this way._

_The statement changed. 'You're alone...'_

_Once it came to close, the boy jumped backward, trying to avoid beings spotted by it. But this action resulted in him stepping in a small indent in the ground which he sent him stumbling backward into a group trashcans. This awakened a group of cat Pokemon with a golden coin on its head._

_The group of three cat Pokemon hissed at the boy as they surrounded him._

_The statment became a question. 'What will you do...?'_

_Each of them extended their thin but sharp claws from their front paws before they pounced onto the boy._

_The question returned to a statement. 'With your own power...'_

_The boy screamed as the cat Pokemon swiped at him with their claws, cutting through his clothing and skin with each attack. He was sure people could hear him screaming, but no one was even trying to help. Was the world always this cruel._

_Suddenly, a chunk of cement hit one of the Meowth's on the head, knocking out the feline Pokemon with one hit. The group looked toward the entrance of the alleyway where the boy could see the green Pokemon from before. It had another piece of cement in hand and ready to hurl at its next victim. The Meowth's hissed at it before the remaining two swarmed it._

_The statement changed. 'By yourself…'_

_The boy rose from the ground, glancing at the pack of Meowth's that were attacking the small green Pokemon who couldn't defend itself since it was outnumbered. The thought of running a way at this moment entered hi mind._

_The statement became a command. 'You must survive...'_

_But the thought of leaving vanished as well. After hastily wiping away his tears, the boy rushed toward the pack, kicking the first Meowth with all his might which sent the Pokemon tumbling across the ground. This action gained the attention of the remaining Meowth who immediately jumped at the boy._

_The green Pokemon jumped into the scuffle, easily tipping the odds in the boy's favor so that they claimed victory over the Meowths, ending their battle. The two of them were breathing deeply, leaning against the wall before the green Pokemon approached the boy._

_"Larvitar." It said, extending its small arm toward him._

_"Blake." He said in reply, accepting the Pokemon's handshake._

_The command continued. 'and you must become strong...'_

_"Per." Another cat Pokemon entered the alleyway, this one being much larger than the previous group Blake and Larvitar had just fought off._

_"Lar-Larvitar." It said, glancing at Blake who nodded to Larvitar._

_Together the two of them rushed out of the alleyway, deciding that they weren't looking for another fight. Larvitar pointed out a place for the two of the take shelter from the rain._

_That command became a goal._


	16. Connections Pt 3

Chapter 16

Nozomi could feel the determination rolling off of Blake as the small boy gained a one track mind, beginning a search for strength as he lived out his childhood in Goldenrod City.

"Goldenrod City." Was all Nozomi could say, watching the memory of Blake's first night in Goldenrod City start over from the beginning.

Nozomi left the room, entering all the ones she had skipped, watching Blake and Larvitar spend countless nights in Goldenrod City fighting Pokemon for what food they could find. During the day they would beg locals for food or try take what he could from stands set up in the streets, but this earned him more beatings then food.

At first Nozomi couldn't figure out what had the people acting so cold toward Blake and Larvitar, but as she thought about it some more, she realized that this was during the times when Team was first reestablishing itself in Johto. For the average person, this was the most dangerous time in Goldenrod City simply because of the dangers the people in black presented the community. While the organization never did any wrong to anyone, they unnerved the public, and made them suspicious of each other.

If only she had known Blake was in Goldenrod City after the fire, she could have saved him from all the struggles the people were dropping down on him.

Finally, Nozomi came to the room where she found Blake in a dire situation.

_Nine year old Blake rested against the wall of a building in an alleyway, red faced and weak. Larvitar frantically ran into the alleyway, holding a half empty can of Pokemon food and a banana peel._

"_Lar-Larvitar.__" It said to Blake, showing him the banana peel. Blake went through another coughing fit, producing deep, rough coughs that a child his age shouldn't be able to make before shaking his head._

_"I can only eat what's inside the peel Larvitar." Blake said with a hoarse voice. Larvitar threw the banana peel to the side, showing Blake the Pokemon food. "That's for you Larvitar, save if for when you're hungry."_

_Larvitar placed the can on the ground, running out the alleyway again to continue it's search, leaving Blake who was huddled up again the wall of the building, trying to keep warm. After about an hour, Larvitar returned to the alleyway where it had left Blake, tightly holding the three oranges it had managed to get from the fruit stand owner._

_While he had refused to give Larvitar any at first, Larvitar continued to interfere with the sales the owner was making until he finally grew tired of Larvitar's persistence. Chucking a few oranges at the Pokemon, it left after collecting three from the street, leaving a very irritated man to try and pick up all the business he had lost in an hour._

_Upon its arrival, Larvitar found a young woman with Blake who was unconscious, her hand on his forehead. Instead of approaching the woman, Larvitar became aggressive, throwing one of the oranges it held at her.  
><em>

_"Oww." She mumbled, rubbing her cheek after she had been hit. She then heard a low growl in front of her, finding a small green Pokemon standing in between herself and Blake. __"Let's see, this Pokemon is a...Pupitar...no, that's what it evolves into..."_

_The woman continued to ramble to herself for a few more moments before she snapped her fingers._

_"A Larvitar." She exclaimed. "Listen Larvitar, your friend is really sick and unless he gets some medical attention soon, he'll die."_

_Larvitar remained where it was, glaring at the woman. Larvitar was still going to refuse, but when Blake began to cough again, Larvitar was forced to reconsider her offer._

"_Larvitar." It said, stepping to the side for the woman to continue her examination of Blake._

_"Alright Larvitar, I need to move his to a safer, healthier place for him to rest and get better." She said, slowly lifting Blake up from the ground. "My name is Lola and I want to take him to New Bark Town, would you like to come, Larvitar?"_

Nozomi exited the room, looking back at the door she had just left. She could understand how Lola had taken the mother in figure in Blake's life after having nothing but Larvitar with him. But one question still remained. What happened in between the fire in Ecruteak City and Blake waking up in Goldenrod City. It was clear to her that he had been kidnapped, but there was still no explanation as to who took him, how they did it and why?

Nozomi turned to the hazy end of the hallway, beginning walk toward the wall that had blocked her off from the rest of Blake's memory.

'The wall must be the amnesia, its blocking Blake off from remembering, and its preventing me from seeing it.' Nozomi said to herself. Passing the first door where it showed Blake waking up in Goldenrod City, Nozomi hit the wall within two steps which put an end to her advance. 'Here it is.'

Nozomi placed both her hands on the wall, both of them gaining a greenish glow. Nozomi closed her eyes, taking several deep breaths to stay calm while she began to restore Blake's memory. The haze began to clear out of the hallway for a moment before it all came back together, hitting Nozomi in the torso which sent her flying backward. She was sent flying by this, from where she was currently standing all the way to the beginning of the corridor.

**5/28/0046/Morning**

**Kimono Girls Estate**

'Boy, they've been inside Blake-kun for a while. There must be a lot to fix.' Lana noted, watching as the girls sat around Blake in the same position they had started in yesterday only a blue dome had formed around them when they had entered Blake's mind space.

Lana noticed the dome flicker several times before it dissolved completely. Someone's focus had been broken while they were inside Blake, but before Lana could conclude who it was, Nozomi was sent flying. It was sudden, but the moment after the dome disappeared, Nozomi was thrown to the wall by an unseen force while her sisters looked up at her in confusion.

"Nozomi, are you okay?" Her sisters asked in unison while Lana ran over to the oldest of the Kimono Girls to see if she was alright.

"What happened in there?" Yumi asked, looking down at Blake who was still sound asleep on the floor.

"I can't bring him back." Nozomi muttered.

"What?"

"I found the problem but Blake himself won't let me fix it. He honestly believes that his family had abandoned him in his early childhood and he's locked off that part of his memory. He doesn't want to admit that his family didn't want him, so he treats it as though he never existed until that night he woke up in Goldenrod City." Nozomi explained sadly.

"Goldenrod City? What was he doing there?" Lana asked, looking over at Blake who was still out cold.

"I don't know, the part of his memory that might have the answer has been completely blocked off…he won't let me through, he won't even let himself through." Nozomi continued.

"So he was in Goldenrod City the whole time?" Rei inquired.

"No, a woman found him while he was sick and took him to New Bark Town." Nozomi went on, wiping away the tears that were threatening to roll down her cheeks. "He grew up in an orphanage, turning into that hollow shell Yumi saw when he entered the compound."

Lana crawled over to Blake, resting on her knees beside him.

"So he isn't coming back?" Lana asked in a monotone voice, staring down at him.

"Right now it's impossible." Nozomi replied with a nod.

"Well then, I'll make this Blake fall in love with me." Lana said to herself confidently, leaning forward. Lana lowered her lips toward Blake's, planning to steal a kiss while she could. Unfortunately, the teenage boy woke up at the moment.

"What are you doing?" Blake asked, giving her a blank stare since Lana's lips were about two inches away from his own. Lana jumped back, one hand on her chest since she was caught off guard by Blake.

"Don't do that Blake-kun!" Lana whined, going unnoticed by Blake who rose from the floor.

"Where am I?" Blake asked, looking at each of the Kimono Girls.

"Our house Blake-kun. You used to live here too." Miyu said, motioning to the entire room as if it was his own.

"I never lived here." He said, rising to his feet. Without a word, Blake began walking toward the exit of the room before noticing that the door had no knob for him to open it with. What kind of door didn't have a knob to open it?

"No!" Lana cried out, grabbing onto Blake's legs to before he could leave the room even though he wasn't clear as to how the doors opened and closed yet. "You're not leaving Blake-kun!"

Blake looked down at her and tried to muster up a glare, but it was like there was malfunction with his glare producing system in his brain whenever he looked at Lana. Quickly he looked away; continuing to search the door for a way to open it before the rest of the Kimono Girls except for Nozomi jumped onto him. All of them went down to the floor with a hard thud, Blake being at the bottom of the pile where he groaned in pain.

"Get off of me." Blake grumbled, struggling to move with the number of people he had seated on his back.

"Come on Blake-kun, you can't leave." Yumi said desperately.

"There must be something you need." Rei added before the rumble of Blake's stomach broke the short silence that had set in.

"Are you hungry Blake-kun?" Yumi asked, although she knew of the answer based on how he was back when he lived with them in Ecruteak City.

"Well he was always a bottomless pit." Hiroko muttered her breath.

"Hush Hiroko. We'll lay out a full meal for you Blake-kun." Lana said, trying to convince him to stay.

Even though Blake wanted to leave, there was no way he would pass off a free meal.

* * *

><p>The Kimono Girls and Lana watched as Blake stuffed his mouth with as much food as he could fit it, swallowing most of it without chewing, three out of his four Pokemon keeping up with pace Blake had set while Kirlia ate at a much slower pace.<p>

"I knew he ate a lot, but this kid could put a Snorlax to shame." Hiroko muttered, watching Blake stack up what appeared to be his seventh plate.

The girls watched him eat for another fifteen minutes at a high pace before he fell onto his back with a content yawn.

"Sheesh, your appetite got even bigger Blake-kun." Lana exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, sorry about eating everything. I haven't had a decent meal in a few weeks." Blake said, sitting up now.

"Why haven't you been eating?" Nozomi asked, getting a blank stare from Blake.

"That's none of your concern." Blake replied, glancing at Poliwhirl, Quilava and Larvitar who were now fast asleep on the floor while Kirlia sat quietly, finishing the small amount of Pokemon Food it in front of it.

"Blake, we're your onee-chans and it's our concern when you're not eating while traveling across the world." Yumi stepped in, watching Blake return his sleeping Pokemon to their Poke-balls.

"Even if you do know me, it's nothing you need to worry about." Blake said, nodding to Kirlia who had just finished its meal. Kirlia rose from the floor and jumped up onto Blake's shoulder. "Thank you for the meal, but I have places to go and people to beat, so enjoy the rest of your day."

Blake opened the sliding door to the room, failing to notice the silhouette of a body outside the door. As Blake took a step forward, he bumped into Stanly who was just about to enter the room.

"Oh, I'm sorry…Blake? What are you doing here?" Stanly asked, recognizing Blake from back in Violet City.

"You. I still didn't get the Charter for Cherrygrove City from you." Blake said, ignoring Stanly's question.

Before Stanly could reply, Blake felt a sharp jolt hit the back of his head.

"Oww, what the hell are you doing!" Blake shouted, turning around to see Yumi glaring at him. Blake returned the glare, holding the back of his head which Yumi had just hit.

"Blake-kun, address people properly when they greet you and answer a question that's directed at you." Yumi said. "I thought I taught you how to use your manners."

"I don't even know you!"

"Am I missing something here?" Stanly asked, unsure of what was going on.

"Sorry Stanly, this is Blake." Yumi said, introducing Blake.

"Oh, we've met before." Stanly replied. "How do you guys know each other?"

"Blake is the boy that disappeared that night." Hiroko said, getting Stanly's attention.

"No way, this is the King?" Stanly exclaimed, turning to Blake who was still glaring at Yumi.

"When am I going to get the Charter to Cherrygrove City?" Blake asked, directing his focus at Stanly now.

"I was wondering when I'd find you again so I always kept the Charter on hand in case I stumbled onto you while I was traveling." Stanly replied, beginning to look through the messenger bag he had slung over his shoulder. "Here it is."

"Good, now I didn't join Team Rocket for nothing." Blake said, accepting the signed document from Stanly.

"You what!" Miyu shouted, standing up abruptly. "Why did you join Team Rocket Blake-kun?"

"Whoa, whoa." Stanly jumped in, stopping Miyu in her tracks. "It was a special mission for the Pokemon Committee."

"What do you have him doing in the Pokemon Committee Stanly?" Nozomi asked. "He's only a teenager and you have him dealing with criminals."

"At first I would've said the same thing, but I saw Blake battle and he truly is a gifted trainer. I got a report from Shari explaining how much he advanced during his time in Azalea Town so I didn't question what might happen to him when dealing with Team Rocket." Stanly explained. "But now I have absolutely nothing to worry about since Blake is the King."

"We wouldn't be worried either, if he had his memories." Yumi said flatly, glancing at Blake who quietly rolled up the Charter he had just been given, placing it in his backpack.

"Wait, he can't remember anything?"

"Not a thing. We tried to restore his memory, but he blocked us out."

"Not even Lana could bring back his memory?"

"Nope, he can't remember a thing about me." Lana said before an idea flashed in her head. "What about Grace?"

"What about her?" Rei asked. "We still need to find her."

"Well they are brother and sister by blood, maybe she'll have a better chance at bringing Blake back then we did." Lana suggested.

"I don't have a sister." Blake said.

"Don't tell me…Does she have long black hair, really likes music?" Stanly asked.

"Exactly, how'd you know?" Nozomi asked, raising one eyebrow.

"I found a girl just like that in Goldenrod City a few years back. I brought her back to Indigo Plateau where she joined the Committee." Stanly explained. "Does that mean she has a Crest as well?"

Everyone but Blake gave Stanly a nod.

"So we're this close to finding all three of them again and now I've sent Grace into Team Rocket to help out Shari." Stanly said, looking up at the ceiling. 'But why didn't the Commissioner sense her Crest then?'

"So you don't know where Grace is right now?" Hiroko asked.

"No, I had no idea she had Crest the whole time." Stanly replied.

"She's at Mt. Mortar." Blake said, getting everyone's attention.

"How do you know Blake-kun?" Lana asked.

"When we came back from Olivine City, she told us that she was headed for Mr. Mortar to start training for the IBF Tourney." Blake explained.

"Alright Blake, go get her." Stanly said, getting a blank stare from Blake.

"No." Blake replied, heading for the exit of the room before coming to a complete halt because Lana had once again grabbed onto his legs to prevent him from leaving.

"Please Blake-kun?" She begged.

"Look, I have a lot of work to get started with so I have to get going." Blake replied.

"More important than your own sister?" Nozomi asked.

"I've never had any family so I don't know what you're talking." Blake responded.

"Alright Blake, but trust me, you're going to wish you went to find Grace." Stanly said, getting Blake's attention.

"And why's that?" Blake asked.

"If you went to find Grace and brought her back here, you would've learned a disturbing truth about your past." Stanly said since he knew he had captured Blake's curiosity. "Not to mention Mr. Mortar is filled with strong Pokemon that would be worthy opponents for you right now."

"Sorry, but you're going to have to better than that if you plan to persuade me into finding Grace." Blake said, causing Stanly to flinch.

"Sheesh Blake, I really hate trying to work with your type, but I guess I'll have to play one of my trump cards." Stanly said with a sigh, going through his bag once more. "I took this because I knew I'd have to work with you again in the near future."

Stanly pulled out a cyan colored stone out of his bag, with a seven point star on the top of it, the stone visibly glowing in daylight.

Kirlia jumped off Blake's shoulder, throwing itself at the stone. Stanly quickly raised his hand, moving it out of Kirlia's path which left the Pokemon with the option to hit the floor rolling.

"This is a Dawn Stone, as you probably know, it can make a male Kirlia evolve into a Gallade and your Kirlia seems to be obsessed with getting it." Stanly explained, using his foot to hold back Kirlia.

"Alright, you got me this time. I'll be back with Grace in a week." Blake said, returning his Kirlia who had abandoned its usual composure in a desperate attempt to get the Dawn Stone. 'Good, with that Dawn Stone, I'll have a Gallade and the first part of my team will be complete.'

As Blake exited the room, a purple creature dropped down from the ceiling onto Blake's head.

"Bagon!" It shouted as Blake removed it from his head.

"So you want to come along Ryuu?" Blake asked.

"Ba!" Bagon said, nodding to Blake.

"Alright. Let's get moving." Blake said, placing the Dragon-type Pokemon on his shoulder, leaving the Kimono Girls, Lana and Stanly.

"Did any of you notice that he called Bagon by the name he gave it when he was little?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah, but there's no telling what parts of his memory are totally buried, and what comes back up with a certain event." Nozomi said.

"Do you really think Grace can do it?" Rei asked.

"Probably, but that's assuming she hasn't lost her own memory." Yumi responded.


	17. Connections Pt 4

Chapter 17

**Ecruteak Battle Dome**

"Hello, may I help you?" Nurse Joy asked, turning away from the computer screen in front of her.

"I need a circuit change and I'd like to organize a match against someone in a higher class." Blake replied.

"Alright, all I need is a Battle Circuit License."

"Here you go." Blake handed her his Pokedex which Nurse Joy accepted with one hand while typing with the other. Once she entered Blake's Pokedex into the system, all his Battle Circuit information appeared on the screen, showing Nurse Joy his record as well as his most current Pokemon team.

"The Rookie King, nice to meet you." Nurse Joy said, giving Blake a smile which only received a blank stare. "What Circuit would you like to be transferred to?"

"The Regular Circuit."

"Alright…There you go. Now you're aiming to battle someone from the B-Class?"

"Yes. I want to become a B-Class trainer as soon as possible." Blake replied.

"To do that, you'll need to battle and beat two trainers from the upper B-Class to enter the next trainer class."

"Easy picking. Are there any matches here tonight?" Blake asked.

"Yes, I'll line up a match for you."

"Thanks."

**5/28/0046/Night**

**Stadium**

"And now for the seventeenth match tonight. In the blue corner is Blake the Johto Rookie King with a record of 24-24-0 against the B-Class trainer known as Mariah with a record of 31-23-8." The announcer said, introducing the trainers.

"Hey, I saw the Rookie King in Goldenrod City! He was a beast!" Someone shouted.

"Yeah, he may be good, but now he's facing someone that's a lot stronger than his previous opponents."

"Trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted.

Blake and Mariah selected their Poke-balls and threw it onto the field, Blake using the Spin Counter in attempt to make this battle one-sided from the start.

Instead of using a basic throw, Mariah threw her Poke-ball in a wide horizontal arc, the Poke-ball swinging around at Blake's Poke-ball from the side, creating a large burst of sparks as they met.

"The Hook!" Many observers said, impressed with the Clash that started the battle.

Bagon and Staryu appeared on the field, each of them sliding backward on their feet.

"Battle begin!"

"Staryu, use Swift!" Mariah shouted. Staryu rose into the air, beginning to spin rapidly as it produced several tiny gold stars from the jewel at the center of its body.

"Ryuu, use Dragon Breath." Blake said, watching Bagon roar before spewing green flames out its mouth to counter the Swift attack, the two attacks canceling each other out. "Now use Dragon Breath again."

"Staryu, counter with Rapid Spin."

Star began to spin, hovering a few inches off the ground. As the green flames hit Staryu, they began to swirl around the star shaped Pokemon, causing no actual damage to the Pokemon.

"Now use Water Gun."

Staryu sped up for a moment, blowing away the Dragon Breath while pointing one of its five ends at Bagon, firing pressurized water at the Dragon type Pokemon.

"Ryuu, hold your ground and use Thunder Fang." Blake said, watching the small Pokemon cross its tiny arms in front its body, to block the Water Gun attack.

After a few moments, Bagon opened its mouth, revealing an electrical charge that began to run through the water, back to Staryu who was electrocuted by the attack.

"Staryu!" Mariah shouted.

"Use Headbutt." Blake commanded. Bagon charged forward at the wobbling Pokemon, lowering its head as it prepared for impact. Bagon rammed its head into the center of Staryu's body, lifting the Pokemon off the ground. "Dragon Breath."

Bagon spewed a wave of green flames at the airborne Staryu, the flames engulfing the Pokemon.

"Staryu, use Water Gun and Rapid Spin!"

Staryu began to spin, blowing away the flames before firing water out of all five of its points, which kept it hovering in mid air.

"Ryuu, use Thunder Fang again." Bagon jumped up at Staryu, sparks beginning to fly from its mouth only for it to slapped away by one of the streams of water Staryu was releasing.

"Nice try, but you're not going to be able to hit Staryu anymore." Mariah said, proud of their successful attack. "This is its all purpose defense that intercepts physical attacks as well as special attacks."

"We'll see about that. Ryuu, use Dragon Breath on the ground to get yourself into the air above Staryu." Blake said, the small purple Pokemon spraying green flames out its mouth to push it into the air, cutting off the flames once it was above Staryu. "Now use Skull Bash and put a spin on it."

Bagon fell into a nose dive, beginning to twirl rapidly as it dropped toward Staryu. Several streams of water from the spinning Staryu lashed out at Bagon, but the spinning Bagon blew away the water, hitting its target at full force, smashing Staryu into the ground.

A dust cloud was formed upon impact, preventing the ref from making a decision until the cloud cleared. Bagon stood on top of Staryu whose jewel was flickering.

"Staryu is unable to battle. The winner is Bagon and Blake." The ref shouted, lifting the blue flag.

"The Rookie King makes his first step toward the B-Class with a one-sided match!" The announcer shouted as the crowd broke out into the cheers.

"Yeah Rookie, you can make it to the B-Class!" Several fans in the crowd shouted, impressed with Blake's match.

"Come on Ryuu, we got work to do." Blake said, inviting the Pokemon up onto his shoulder. Blake gave Mariah and the crowd a few waves with Bagon before leaving the Stadium.

**5/30/0046/Sunrise**

**Mr. Mortar**

Blake looked up at the small mountain path way he would have to use in order to get up to the area of Mr. Mortar where the Pokemon were located. On his shoulder was Larvitar who Blake had let out to act as a guide for him while he was in the mountains.

"Is it safe Larvitar?" Blake asked, receiving a nod from the Pokemon. "Alright, but if something happens to me, you're going to pay for it."

Blake slowly began to move on the path, leaning against the mountain side for safety.

After a full hour, Blake had reached the end of the path, entering a large rocky area where multiple Pokemon were going about like it was any other day.

"Kirlia." Blake said, releasing the Pokemon from its Poke-ball. "I'll be training you the most since that Dawn Stone will be ours in a week. Use Magical Leaf on the Graveler."

A dozen multi colored leaves appeared around Kirlia that were fired at a nearby Graveler, taking out a portion of its health while getting the Rock Pokemon's full attention.

"Grav-ler!" It shouted, tearing a large chuck of earth out the ground before throwing it at Blake and Kirlia.

"Split up, then use Confusion." Blake said as the two of them took off in directions. Once the two of them had safely avoided the Rock Throw, a blue outline appeared around Graveler, lifting it into the air. "Now toss it."

"Kir!" Kirlia shouted, thrusting both its arms forward which sent Graveler flying into a duo of Machoke's that had been watching them. Graveler lay on top both Pokemon, its eyes replaced with black swirls.

"Perfect." Blake said quietly as the two Machoke's lifted the Graveler up so that they could return to their feet, both of them enraged.

"Machoke!" One of them shouted, pointing at them while the other tossed the Graveler at Kirlia.

Kirlia stopped Graveler's approach using Confusion, placing the unconscious Pokemon on the ground.

"Get ready Kirlia, this could get ugly." Blake said, taking notice of the group of Machoke's and Machop's that had suddenly appeared.

**5/31/0046/Morning**

"Do you think we lost them?" Blake asked Kirlia, the two of them panting and drenched in sweat after a full day of battling. After picking a fight with that family of Machoke's and Machop's, Blake and Kirlia left the scene, heading inside Mr. Mortar where the duo met up with a nest of Golbat's. The whole day was nothing but trouble, but Blake was pleased with the amount of battles Kirlia had won against the local Pokemon.

"Rest up Kirlia." Blake said, returning the tired Pokemon to its Poke-ball, hooking it back onto his belt in trade for another. "Larvitar, let's go."

Blake and Larvitar followed the sounds of nearby Pokemon battle and the shouts of a trainer that was giving its Pokemon several commands.

"Electivire, use Thunder Bolt!" A feminine voice shouted.

Blake peered out into the open section of the cave, spotting a tall Pokemon with yellow and black fur battle several Golbat's at once.

"Electivire!" It roared as its fur became spiky, launching multiple bolts of electricity in all directions, hitting all but one of the surrounding Golbat's, finishing them off. The remaining Golbat opened its mouth to reveal a pair of purple fangs which meant it was using Posion Fang.

"Larvitar, use Rock Throw." Blake said to the small green Pokemon who gave him nod before following his command.

"Electivire, behind you!" The girl shouted, warning her Pokemon of the oncoming danger. Just before the Golbat could sink its teeth into Electivire's shoulder, a large piece of earth hit it from its blind spot, sending it flying into one of the cave walls. "Huh?"

"Nice Larvitar." Blake said, making his presence known. "That was pretty close."

"Blake? What are you doing here?" Grace asked as the two of them observed the bruises they had received during their training session in Mr. Mortar.

"I was sent to get you by a group of psychos who keep saying were related." Blake replied, taking note of Grace's newly evolved Electivire. "Are you planning to enter the IBF Tourney with this Electivire?"

"Yup." Grace replied, giving him a nod. "But who sent you to get me?"

"A few girls living in Ecruteak City and Stanly from the Committee." Blake replied, approaching her Electivire who met Blake halfway, looking down at him.

"Stanly…I still haven't given him a report from our mission in Olivine City." Grace said, taking a deep breath which invited a wave of exhaustion to wash over her which she hadn't felt at all during the time she had been training. "And I guess I should take a break and get to a Pokemon Center."

"So you're coming?" Blake asked, receiving a nod from Grace.

**5/32/0046/Evening**

**Mr. Mortar Mountain Side**

Blake and Grace looked up at the gray sky, a heavy rain falling on the duo. Grace sneezed again, getting Blake's undivided attention.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Blake asked for the tenth time, halting the two of them from continuing their trip down the mountain side.

"I'm alright." Grace replied groggily, sniffling a few times as she spoke. "Let's keep going."

Blake placed the back of his hand against her forehead.

"No, you're not going anywhere. You've got a fever." Blake said, removing his jacket which he draped over Grace's head to reduced the amount of rain that was hitting her. "Come on, we'll wait out the rain somewhere drier."

* * *

><p>Blake sat inside the small indent in the side of the mountain, Grace quietly sleeping farther inside with Quilava resting next to her to keep her warm. The sky had gotten much darker during the time they spent resting, thundering booming every so often.<p>

"The rain isn't getting any lighter." Blake stated while putting his hand on Grace's forehead again. "And Grace isn't getting any better."

She was red faced now and Blake wasn't sure whether he should be trying to keep Grace warm, or get her fever down.

"Quilava, return." Blake said. "This isn't getting any better."

Blake wrapped up Grace's torso in his jacket which he dried off with Quilava help and lifted the girl up by her thighs, her body resting against his back.

'Alright Blake, full speed back to Ecruteak City.' Blake said to himself, taking off into a full sprint down the pathway that led down the side of Mr. Mortar.

* * *

><p>Blake glared at the duo of Graveler's that were blocking his path that led down the mountain side.<p>

"Grav-ler." One of them said, unaffected from the heavy rain that was falling on it.

"Poliwhirl, Blake said, releasing the Water type Pokemon since the Graveler's had knocked him back twice when he tried to pass them. "Use Water Pulse."

"Poli!" The Pokemon said, firing a condensed sphere of water at the Graveler's one of them dogoding the sphere while the other took the blast full on which knocked it off the mountain side.

"Graveler!" The remaining Graveler roared, curling itself up into a tight ball as it began to roll toward Blake, Grace and Poliwhirl.

"Poliwhirl, hold it back with Water Gun." Blake said, watching Poliwhirl fire water from the center of its torso at the Graveler which successfully kept the Pokemon at bay. After a few moments, Graveler's roll came to stop, the Water Gun eliminating a large portion of its health. "That's enough Poliwhirl."

Graveler came to a weary stop, swaying back and forth before.

"Finish it with Ice Punch." Blake said, Poliwhirl following his command. With a one solid blow to its chest, Poliwhirl sent Graveler tumbling down the mountain said. "Nice Poliwhirl."

Blake quickly returned Poliwhirl to its Poke-ball and continued to travel down the mountain. His clothing was weighed down from the rain, not to mention the extra weight from Grace's body which only slowed down Blake's pace. His chest was on fire and he was struggling to breath, his hair was drenched from the rain and covering his eyes.

Blake stepped onto the area where Poliwhirl had held Graveler back with Water Gun, the pathway crumbling beneath him.

'Huh?' Blake exclaimed before his side hit the ground, beginning to the roll down the mountain side, Grace slipping out of his grasp which separated the two. After a few moments of rolling, his body hitting many jagged rocks on the way down, Blake came to a halt on a flat platform that was completely isolated from the pathway above.

Blake rose from the ground, clutching a sore spot when he noticed Grace's unconscious body sliding across the wet platform toward the edge which meant another roll down the mountain side and probably a more painful one. Blake lunged forward, hitting the platform with a thud as he slid across it, planning to intercept Grace's body, but everything didn't got according to plan.

'No!' Blake shouted as his body was pushed over the edge with Grace's. In a split second, Blake threw out both his arms, his left hand managing to grab a hold of the ledge to hold him up while his right hand grabbed Grace's left wrist, preventing her from dropping to her death.

Blake sighed, taking a moment to catch his breath before he realized that just his right arm wouldn't be able to lift Grace back up to the safety of the platform. Blake ignored this fact and attempted to lift Grace back up to the platform, but not matter how hard he tried, he could lift her more than half of the way up.

'Come on Blake…Grace is counting on you to get her back safely.' Blake said, looking down at her sleeping face before his eyes widened in shock.

"_Grace!__" __A small boy screamed as he entered a small room where the the ceiling had collapsed, a small piece of the ceiling resting above the head of an unconsicous gil that was resting amidst the flames. "Grace!"_

_The boy ran into the flames, ignoring the fact that his pants had caught on fire. As quick as he could, the boy picked the girl that matched him in size, taking notice of the small trickle of blood that was coming from the top of her head. With that, the boy took off in a sprint, leaving the room in search of an exit._

_The boy came to a dead end, unsure of where he was with all the smoke that was starting to fill up that. Before long, he began to cough and gag, unable to find one of the exits to the house._

'_Grace is counting on me to get her out of here…' The boy said to himself, using the last of his strength to take off in a full sprint, racing toward the end of the hallway where the smoke seemed to clear. 'I made it!'_

_The boy looked up at the night time sky that was incredibly blurry from the smoke that was coming from his home._

"_Yumi-nee-chan!" He shouted. "Where are you?"_

"_Fearow!" A large brown bird said as if dived at the boy, scooping him off the ground along with the girl._

* * *

><p>Blake snapped out his thoughts, recognizing Grace's face from one of the memories that he had from time to time.<p>

"Don't worry Grace, I'll keep you safe." Blake said out loud before taking two deep breaths. 'I'll give everything I have, to protect you.'

Blake attempted to lift Grace once again, all the strength he had lost earlier returning to his body from his right wrist. Unseen by Blake, a gray line design began to extend from an outline of a pentagon made up of five smaller triangles, traveling up his arm to his shoulder and then to his neck where it swirled around it before branching out to the right side of his face. Grace's left wrist lit up in a golden light which was ignored by Blake who's consciousness was beginning to slip away.

With ease, Blake threw Grace into the air, giving himself a small interval of time to climb back onto the platform and catch her. The design covering a portion of Blake's face, neck and arm began to glow as Blake shifted Grace back the position she was in before they fell, knotting the sleeves of the jacket around his neck so that Grace would remain with him as he scaled the mountain side.

After a short while, Blake was back on the pathway, sprinting at full speed with renewed energy.

**6/1/0046/Early Morning**

**Kimono Girls Estate**

Miyu yawned as she approached the front door the estate where a continuous knocking sound had been coming from for a while now.

"I'm coming." She said groggily, opening the sliding door which revealed a damp Blake and Grace. Grace was resting on Blake's back, out cold, but really woke Miyu out of her early morning daze was the design covering his face which she had traced back to his wrist. "Nozomi! Yumi!"

* * *

><p>The Kimono Girls, Lana and Stanly looked down at the sleeping duo who each lay in their own cot.<p>

"It still hasn't receded." Nozomi said, closely observing Blake's Crest after removing her hands from her head.

"What did you see?" Yumi asked.

"A few memories of Grace returned to him when the two of them almost fell of the cliff. After that his Crest took over as a defense mechanism and he sprinted for two days straight back to Ecruteak City from ."

"For two days?" Miyu shouted. "He must be exhausted with the Crest being open for so long."

"I already checked his Crest. It's not harming him in anyway, Blake is just unconscious right now." Nozomi responded.

"May I see his Crest?" Stanly asked, getting a nod from Nozomi. Stanly gently took hold of Blake's right arm, turning it sideways so that the bottom side of his wrist was facing upward so that he could see his Crest. "Its shape is funny."

"It's because he's the King." Yumi said. "His Crest keeps in contact with the Great Five. If something happens to them, we can tell using his Crest."

"So this proves it, we've found the King." Stanly stated with a smile. "When are we going to take him to Mr. Tsuji?" Stanly asked.

"Right after we restore Grace's memory. That is the top of our list, and then we can check the situation."

**6/1/0046/Evening**

Grace's body jerked upward before her eyes snapped open. Instead of checking her surroundings, Grace screamed.

"Fire!" She shouted, frantically looking around the room. "Wait...there's no, fire. Hiroko, is that you?"

Grace's vision cleared up, taking a moment to squint at Hiroko.

"You remember me?" Hiroko asked in return, ready to grab Grace in a tight hug.

"You got old." Grace exclaimed, emphasizing the word old, much to Hiroko's dismay.

"Oh, you're so funny." Hiroko said sarcastically with a smirk, roughly ruffling Grace's hair.

"Whoa, when did my hair get so long?" Grace exclaimed, taking note of her long bangs that dropped down in front her face before jumping up to her feet. "And when did I get so tall?"

"Grace, it's been so long!" Lana said, tackling the girl in a hug.

"Lana, why are you so big too?" Grace asked, returning the hug.

"Why's she asking so many questions?" Stanly asked, glancing at Nozomi.

"Well now that her memory is back, it's still merging with her experiences during her time without them so she still doesn't understand the fact that she has grown since then." Nozomi explained.

"That makes perfect sense." Stanly said, rising from the floor. "Come on, we have no time to waste. To Mt. Tsuji!"

* * *

><p><strong>The past is merging with the present. Secrets will be revealed as the Connections Arc continues.<strong>

**Please Review.**


	18. Connections Conclusion

Chapter 18

**6/2/0046/Morning**

**Kanto Region**

**Mt. Tsuji**

"There it is!" Lana shouted, pointing at the stone structure that had been carved into the side of the large mountain just below the peak.

Mt. Tsuji, one of the most famous results from the Dark Days. The tall mountain was the result of a supernatural disaster or more commonly known as the clash between multiple Legendary Pokemon near the beginning of the Dark Days. The mountain matched Mt. Silver is height, looming over Indigo Plateau with its superior height over the location of the Pokemon Committee.

"It's Mt. Tsuji!" Grace shouted, sporting her new hairstyle. Without a second thought she had cut her bangs so that its only acted as a curtain in front her forehead, wondering how she battled with it blocking half her eyesight. Grace kept the outfit she had before, finding it cute except she traded the sneakers she was wearing for a pair of black rain boots that stopped below her knees.

"Do you remember the first time we came here?" Lana asked, looking back at Grace..

"And Blake-kun got his shirt caught on one of the Pokemon statues." Grace said with a snicker.

"That was priceless." Lana said in agreement as the two of them laughed at the memory of Blake hanging about twenty feet from the ground by his shirt which was caught on the tail of a stone statue.

"Be quiet, Blake-kun is still asleep." Yumi hissed at them, silencing the two girls that had become best friends over night.

Miyu, Rei and Hiroko sat on Pidgeot's back. Lana, Grace, Stanly and Nozomi rested on a Dragonite and Yumi and Blake were riding a Flygon, Blake still sound asleep.

"Pidgeot, Dragonite, Flygon, land on that platform down there!" Stanly shouted, pointing at the stone walkway that led to the entrance to the temple. The three Pokemon glanced down at the walkway, preforming a nose dive. Without any commands as they neared the platform, all three turned up, landing on their feet with a thud, Dragonite's being the loudest.

"Alright Yumi, wake him up." Nozomi said, motioning to Blake who was now sleeping on the ground even after falling off of Flygon's back.

Yumi gave her a quick nod and kneeled now next to Blake, poking a spot on his next and pinching his nose. Blake remained asleep for a few moments before he began to jerk repeatedly from a lack of oxygen until he finally awoke from his sleep, gasping for air. Blake sprung up from the ground still trying to catch his breath while looking around frantically.

"Grace!" Blake jumped at the girl, pulling her into a hug which surprised himself and everyone who was watching. Blake instantly released her, turning away from her while putting on a stoic expression to cover up his previous action, causing all the girls to giggle.

Blake blinked twice, noticing his surroundings. "Hey, where am I?"

"Mt. Tsuji, in the Kanto Region." Stanly explained, motioning to the temple in front of them.

"Why'd you bring me here?" Blake asked.

"Because you need to learn the truth about what's going on right now." Nozomi informed.

"This counts as kidnapping you know." Blake mumbled before his memories from the night before entered his head. "Does it have anything to do with the weird markings on my wrist?"

"That's the key to everything." Stanly replied, getting a sigh from Blake.

"Well since you guys dragged me here and I have no way of getting back to Johto, I'll see whatever it is you brought me here for." Blake said, receiving a hug from both Grace and Lana.

"It's about time you started listening to them bro." Grace said with a smile.

"Bro?" Blake raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah…is it wrong for me to call my brother bro?"

"See Blake, even Grace herself said you two are related by blood." Rei stated, getting the boy's attention.

"I would like to say that this is all one big prank, but you guys have gone through too much trouble trying to prove this, not to mention Grace's sudden personality change from the silent novelist to…this." Blake said, motioning to the girl that was hanging onto him by his neck.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Grace asked, closing her arms around Blake's neck.

"See, they're already beginning to become siblings again, even after such a long separation." Yumi pointed out, chuckling as Blake gave another sly comment about Grace which resulted in the girl attempting to strangle him, Lana desperately trying to stop her.

"It's hard to believe that the two of them were brought together by chance in Violet City." Stanly said, looking back on the day when the two silent trainers had met in Sprout Tower.

"Who knows? An outside force separated them and an outside force might have brought them back together." Nozomi said, leading the group toward the pair of large stone doors that were the only entrance to the temple. "Did you guys bring them?"

"Yup." Miyu and Hiroko said, raising the items in their hands into the air. Both of them held a bell that matched the size of their head, one bell was light blue with a wave design going around it while the other was a solid gold color, both of them possessing a chain that was attached to the top of the it. "The Clear Bell and the Tidal Bell."

The bells chimed twice before they were lifted into the air by an unseen force. Within a few seconds, the bells were suspended in midair, each them rising toward one of the two hands that were closed into a fist. The chains of each bell slipped into the closed hands that were protruding from the stone door, resting in place. After a few moments, the bells began to emit a light that matched their color before the door creaked open.

"Whoa." Was all Blake said, following everyone into the temple, Lana and Grace leading the way.

The inside of the temple was one huge room with multiple stone columns holding up the ceiling as well as multiple statues of a numerous Pokemon Blake had never seen before. Far off in the corner of the room was an opening that led to a sprial staircase.

"Are we taking him to the Keep?" Lana asked excitedly, glancing back at the Kimono Girls and Stanly.

"Yeah, but don't forget that you'll need Stanly to open the door." Rei said, pushing the man forward and telling him to follow Blake, Lana and Grace.

"What is this place?" Blake asked the girls led him toward the staircase, Stanly following behind them while grumbling about women.

"It doesn't really have a name since no one knows about." Lana replied.

"With it being so close to the location of the Pokemon Committee, no one is allowed to come here." Stanly added.

"Not to mention the temple is carved onto the north side of the mountain so no one from Johto or Kanto can see it." Lana went on as they began to climb the staircase.

"But why was it built? It's kind of obvious it would be conveniently be carved out by the Pokemon." Blake noted, looking at Lana and then Stanly.

"Why it was built, we don't know, but what's waiting for us at the top of the staircase is far more important than figuring out why it was built." Stanly interjected as they reached the top of the staircase.

"Here it is Blake-kun." Lana said, pointing at pair of doors that.

"The Keep." Grace said in addition.

"So how do we open these doors?" Blake asked, looking up at the ten foot tall stone doors that each possessed a beautiful carving of a Pokemon that didn't register in any of Blake's data banks.

"Only we can open them Blake, stand back." Stanly said as he approached the door, rolling up the sleeve on his left arm.

Grace placed her left hand on the left door, Lana placing her right hand on the door on the right while Stanly put his left hand at the center, his large hand touching both doors. Blake stared in awe as their wrists lit up in different colors, Grace's becoming a bright golden color, Lana's being a neutral silver and Stanly's lighting up in an icy blue.

Blake felt a familiar surge of energy coming from his right wrist as he stared at the door. The boy rolled up the sleeve of his jacket, looking at the new design on his wrist. It was nothing like how it had been back at the beginning of his journey, the blue triangle missing but being replaced by a pentagon that was separated into five smaller triangles by thick gray lines.

As he observed the pentagon on his wrist, Blake noticed one of the triangles fill up with a silver color that matched the one that was being produced by Lana's wrist. 'Wow, what's going on?' Blake's attention was drawn back to the doors when the sound of stones collapsing sounding behind the door before it opened up, giving them access to the Keep.

"Come on Blake, let's get started." Stanly called out to him since he was still hadn't moved even though the girls had already entered the Keep.

The circular room was completely empty and bare, the only note worthy thing in the room was writing on the wall opposite the large window that provided and excellent view of the mountain range to the north of both Kanto and Johto.

"What am I supposed to do?" Blake asked, scanning the room for anything important.

"Read it Blake, and then put your hands on the wall." Lana said, pointing toward the writing that was written in some text that Blake couldn't translate.

"Alright." Blake said, unsure of how he was going to read this as he put his hands against the wall just below the text.

Blake couldn't describe how he felt the moment his hands came into contact with the wall, both his arms became numb and limp, but they didn't fall to his sides, his hands remained glued to the wall. Next his entire perspective changed from the gray wall he was staring at to a completely black background.

Three birds appeared in front of Blake, almost like real but they were frozen in place, each of them looking violent as they roared at him. The text Blake had seen on the wall appeared above the birds.

"On the main land in the east, their exists three birds of Fire, Electricity and Ice without the threat of the Disease..." Blake finally began speaking, both his eyes closed which left Stanly, Grace and Lana baffled as the words morphed from the mystery text to English.

The three Birds Blake had seen disappeared, being replaced with a duo of Pokemon, both of them looking similar to some extend only one seemed to be racing through the forest, is thin tail whipping about in the air while the other was contained inside what looked like capsule, floating inside a liquid.

"The Copy strives to best the Original." Blake continued.

The duo of Pokemon disappeared like the birds, this time three four legged Pokemon appearing, each of them possessing a mane that was flowing the wind. One stood on the edge to a cliff, dark clouds above it, the second one appeared to be peering down the mouth of a volcano and the last was walking on water.

"On the main land to the west, three Dogs of Fire, Electricity and Water roam freely without the threat of the Disease..."

The trio of dog-like Pokemon vanished, being replaced by another duo. The first one was obviously a bird, a magnificent one at that, its wings spread wide as it roared, the sun setting behind it. The other somewhat resembled a bird, but it was wildly thrashing about in the waters of the sea, obviously enraged.

"The Phoenix and the Sea Guardian once lived together, but all good things come to an end."

Another image of a trio appeared, tall large golems that were bulky. One was hidden away in the mountains, the other in the frozen peak of a mountain and last deep in the Earth's crust among the harder metals. Each of them possessed a different number of dots on the front of their bodies. Above the trio was an even larger golem, this one being completely white and monstrous in size when compared to the other three.

"Faraway on the first island, a trio of Golems representing Steel, Rock and Ice are led by the Continent Mover."

The Golems disappeared, yet another trio appearing in its place. This one contained a large red Pokemon that was enormous, roaring with great volume as it stood in the lava of a volcano. The second one was blue, sea creature riding on a tidal wave with the a downpour of rain behind it. The last was a winged serpent, green in color and long in length, flying through the ozone with clear skies.

"The duo of Ground and Sea will rise again, and make the one that reigns over the Skies appear once more."

The latest trio was replaced by another, all three resembling the other with the excepting on the crown of their heads. Behind each of them was a cave that was floating at the center of lake. Appearing above the tiny three was another threesome, this one being of great size and power, demonstrated by the amount of destruction each of them were causing. A midst the destruction, a glowing white centaur like Pokemon appeared, but all three of the fearsome Pokemon turned against it.

"On the second island, the three Lakes shall join as one, and bring together Time, Space and the Reverse to bring the Original One down from its domain."

Blake stumbled backward, both his arms falling to his side. His breathing was quick and shallow as the vivid pictures he had just seen flashed through his mind again.

'Something's missing.' Stanly noted, glancing at Blake who was being supported by both Lana and Grace.

"Blake-kun, are you okay?" Lana asked, holding up Blake who was holding his head.

"Not...finished." Blake muttered before throwing himself back at the wall, placing his hands on it once again which brought him back to the black area.

The black background became an eerie purple as screams began to fill Blake's ears. Cries for help, shrieks of terror. A new image appeared, a large one, much larger than all the others. Several different Pokemon were in this one, a pair of aircraft like Pokemon, one blue while the other was red that were razing an area to the ground with beams of light. A Pokemon standing on all fours releasing balls of fire from its mouth down onto helpless people. A colorful Pokemon with a crescent shaped tail flying through the area while firing a white beam of light down at the small houses of a town.

Far off in the corner of the picture Blake spotted a foursome of Pokemon, a small Pokemon with a star shaped head that appeared to wrapped in a blanket being held by a tall black Pokemon with what looked like a white muffler around its neck. On the shoulders of the black Pokemon was a small blue Pokemon and one green hovering above its head, all three peering down at the sleeping Pokemon.

"The Eons...the Moon...and the Volcano have entered the Storm. The Night has chosen is side, bringing Wish Maker, Forest Guardian and Prince of the Sea with it." Blake continued in a hoarse voice. "The arrival of the Storm shall come with a Pokemon not of this Earth."

Lana, Grace and Stanly remained silent, staring at the wall with wide eyes, mouths a gap as Blake dropped to the floor, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.

'I see...so a few people have already chosen their side already." Stanly noted mentally, falling into deep thought. 'Things have progressed farther than we would've imaged. At this rate things will only-'

"Look out!" Blake shouted as he chucked Larvitar's Poke-ball at Stanly, or to be precise, directly to the left of Stanly's head were a four winged purple bat known as Crobat was about to bite down on the man's shoulder with a pair purple fangs. Just before it could bite down on Stanly shoulder, Crobat was hit by Larvitar's Poke-ball, knocking it backward. "Larvitar, use Dark Pulse!"

As Larvitar was released from its Poke-ball, it charged up the purple sphere, throwing it at Crobat who was unprepared for the sudden attack which sent the Bat Pokemon flying out the window.

"Ryuu, Poliwhirl, Kirlia, Quilava, come on out." Blake released all his Pokemon, directing everyone attention to the window where a horde of Golbat's and Crobats were crowding around the window.

"Everyone, guard the window. Kirlia, stay with me." Blake said, ordering his team to use any means necessary to keep those Pokemon outside the temple.

"Electivire, stay here and help them out." Grace said, releasing her Electric type Pokemon.

"Something must be happening outside the temple!" Stanly shouted, taking off for the exit of the room followed by Blake who was now worried about the Kimono Girls who they had left at the entrance the temple.

"Stanly, now would be a good time for that Dawn Stone you promised me." Blake said to Stanly as they sprinted down the staircase, Lana and Grace keeping up with them.

"Yeah, we're going to need all the help we can get." Stanly agreed, digging into his bag. After a few moments, he pulled out the glowing stone from his bag, tossing it to Blake who had Kirlia resting on his shoulder as they ran down the staircase. As they came to the base of the stairs, Blake threw the Dawn Stone into the air.

"Kir!" Kirlia shouted as it jumped into the air, catching the stone which caused it to start evolving. Kirlia's body turned completely white, becoming much taller, stopping at a height of six feet. Kirlia's arms had grown long, each of the now possessing extending elbows and its body no longer had that skirt it had while it was Kirlia. "Gallade!"

Gallade landed on its feet, observing its new body before Blake motioned for it to follow them. The Kimono Girls came running past the group, Yumi and Rei holding the bells.

"We need to hide somewhere!" Miyu shouted as they ran past the group. "There's a bunch of Team Rocket members coming up the mountain side."

'They must be after the Bells.' Stanly said, throwing three Poke-balls into the air, releasing his Dragonite, Flygon and Pidgeot. 'But how did they know that we were here?'

At the edge of the platform that led to the entrance of the temple, Stanly spotted several Team Rocket grunts riding Nidoking's or Nidoqueen's climbing onto the platform and begin charge toward the temple.

"Everyone, prepare to engage!" Stanly shouted to his Pokemon and Grace released her entire Pokemon Team, Lana doing the same.

Now a lineup of Gallade, Stanly's team, Grace's team which was made up of an Arcanine, Milotic, Metang, Tangrowth, Lucario and Lana's Blastoise was in the path between Team Rocket and the Bells.

"Sheesh Grace, you sure got a lot of strong Pokemon." Lana exclaimed, taking note of all her Pokemon. "Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"

"Of course, one day I'm going to queen of the Battle Circuit so I made a team to do just that." She said. "Arcanine, Heat Wave! Milotic, Water Pulse! Metang, Psychic! Tangrowth, Power Whip and Lucario, use Aura Sphere!"

"Dragonite, use Hyper Beam. Flygon, Pidgeot use Whirlwind!" Stanly shouted.

"Gallade, use Psycho Cut!" Blake shouted, looking at Gallade's move set with his Pokedex.

The group of attacks knocked out several of the approaching Ground/Poison type Pokemon, but a few of them still had a clear path to attack.

"Gallade, use Night Slash on the first Nidoqueen." Blake shouted, pointing at the Nidoqueen that was approaching them from in front. Gallade charged at the Pokemon, both its arms from its wrist to its elbow became a sinister black.

As Gallade neared the Nidoqueen, it attempted to grab Gallade who ducked beneath it, leaving Nidoqueen completely open to an attack to its stomach. Gallade jabbed it in the stomach, forcing the Pokemon to hunch over in pain where it met with a double Night Slash from Gallade which sent the Nidequeen tumbling backward.

"Blastoise, hold your ground!" Lana shouted as her Blastoise was forced into a pushing match with a Nidoking who was slowly beginning to overpower Blastoise. "Use a close range Hydro Pump to push it back!"

The cannons on Blastoise's back turned downward, pointing at Nidoking as Blastoise smirked before two jets of water exited the cannons, hitting Nidoking at point blank range. Nidoking was sent flying only for another one to replace it in front of Blastoise.

"Lucario, use Blaze Kick!" Grace shouted. Lucario's right foot ignited in flames that caused it no harm before it landed a spin kick to a Nidoking's stomach. "Now use Shadow Claw."

The Nidoking Lucario had hit took two steps backward, giving Lucario the chance to jump into the air, both its arms becoming enveloped in a dark purple aura that took the shape of three large claws. Lucario attacked Nidoking with its claws twice, wiping out the last of the Pokemon's health.

As Lucario took a moment to look around, a Nidoqueen took this as a chance to land a Mega Punch to the side of Lucario's head which sent the Pokemon rolling across the floor.

"Lucario! Metang, help Lucario with Meteor Mash!" Grace shouted, getting the attention of her Metang that found Lucario sliding across the floor being chased by a Nidoqueen. Metang intercepted Nidoqueen in an instant, its closed right fist becoming engulfed in an orange light.

With one hit to the stomach, Nidoqueen was sent flying in the opposite direction, giving Lucario ample time to return to its feet with some help from Metang.

Grace's Tangrowth waved its two arms in the air, two thick vines extending from its wrists which it used a whip to battle two Nidoking's and a Nidoqueen. The first Nidoking charged at Tangrowth, onto to meet with a dual Vine Whip attack which wrapped around the Pokemon. As Tangrowth took the time to swing the Nidoking in to the Nidoqueen, the remaining Nidoking rushed at, a dual Mega Punch ready for use.

As the Nidoking approached Tangrowth from the side, it was hit with a Solar Beam from its blind spot which sent the Pokemon flying toward one of the temple columns. Arcanine roared at Tangrowth, getting a thumbs at the Pokemon which was a thank you for the help.

"Pidgeot, use Aerial Ace. Flygon use Dragon Pulse!" Stanly shouted, jumping to his left to avoid the Nidoking that had come charging at him. "Dragonite!"

Flygon and Pidgeot flew over Stanly and the Nidoking, leaving Dragonite to engage the Pokemon and keep Stanly safe. Flygon bombarded two Nidoqueen's with its purple spheres of destruction before Pidgeot went in for the finish, knocking out both Nidoqueen's.

"Dragonite, use Dragon Claw." Dragonite held Nidoking back with one arm while lifting its next arm into the air, its small claws becoming enveloped in a purple aura. From there, Dragonite slammed its arm down onto Nidoking from above which sent it to the floor with a thud.

With its next hand, Dragonite extended its Dragon Claws so that it could scoop Nidoking off the ground and toss it at one of the nearby Nidoqueen's.

Blake heard a high pitched scream followed by an explosion come from the Keep which meant something must've happened to the Kimono Girls since that's where they went to hide.

"I'll check what's happening upstairs!" Blake said, getting a nod from everyone else. "Gallade, come on."

After a quick sprint up the spiral staircase, Blake was in the Keep, finding a shocking scene. Four of the five Kimono Girls lay on the floor unconscious along with Blake's Quilava and Poliwhirl with a man Blake despised standing at the center of the room. Surrounding him was Grace's severely weakened Electivire and Blake's newly evolved Pupitar and Shelgon, standing in between him and the unconscious girls. Behind him, where the window was previously located was now a large gaping hole in the wall.

"Alan!" Blake shouted, taking note of the man that held the Bells by their chains in one hand and holding Yumi up by her hair in his next hand.

"Blake, take the Bells back from him." Yumi said weakly before Alan threw her to the side.

"Blake, long time no see." Alan said, giving Blake a wave which only received a dark glare from Blake. "Hey, calm down. That look could kill a man."

"What do you think you're doing?" Blake hissed at him, closing his hands into tight fists.

"I'm here to collect some items that are needed by Team Rocket." He replied lifting up the Bells. "I'm sorry Blake, I'd like to say and chat, but I have to get on the move."

"Rahhh!" Blake charged at Alan without thinking, focused on hitting Alan at least once. Just before he came into contact with Alan, a purple force field formed in his path which electrocuted Blake before sending him flying backward, out the Keep doors and down the staircase.

Alan smirked, turning toward the window of the Keep where a Latios was waiting for him.

"Come on Latios, we've collected what we came for." Alan said as he jumped onto the Eon Pokemon's back. "This had better please him for all the trouble I went through."

"Electivire!" The Pokemon shouted as it, Shelgon, Gallade and Pupitar came over to the window, preparing to launch an attack at Alan and Latios who were already flying away.

Electivire launched a Thunder Bolt, Gallade attacked with Psycho Cut, Pupitar used Dark Pulse and Shelgon fired a Dragon Breath in one final desperate attempt to stop Alan.

As the attacks neared Alan and Latios, the two of them became surrounded in another purple force field like Alan had earlier which reflected the attacks back at their user, each of the attacks changing from their usual color to a sinister black.

Electivire, Gallade, Pupitar and Shelgon were hit by their own attacks, each of them sent flying into the wall of the room, out cold after the impact.

Stanly, Grace and Lana were surprised to see all of the Team Rocket Pokemon they had been battling begin to retreat.

"What's going on?" Lana asked while her Blastoise laughed triumphantly since it had won all its battles.

"Something must've happened in the Keep." Stanly said, rushing toward the staircase only to find Blake resting at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious.

"Blake!" Lana shouted, running over to him to check him. "He's covered in bruises, not to mention one big one on the back of his neck."

"He must've fallen down the stairs somehow." Grace said as Stanly lifted up Blake's body.

"Come on, we have to check on the girls!" Stanly said, beginning to run up the stairs two at a time. In the Keep, Stanly found all of Blake's Pokemon and the Kimono Girls who were unconscious on the floor.

"What happened up here?" Grace asked, spotting her Electivire who was on the floor with black swirls for eyes.

"Team Rocket managed to steal the Bells."

* * *

><p><strong>Horray, we're finally getting somewhere with the plot. This is only the beginning if you think that was good, just wait cause now things are getting serious.<strong>

**For anyone who's wondering, Larvitar and Bagon evolved during the battle in the Keep, I know it was kind of unexplained but I had to make a few changes from what I had written to typed when I noticed a plot hole in the battle scene. So it was either have an unseen evolution or have Blake in two places at once.**

**And Blake's Crest, just draw a pentagon on a piece of paper and divide it into five triangles while keeping the pentagon together if you couldn't understand the description, sorry about that.**


	19. Crests & Battles

Chapter 19

**6/4/0046/Noon**

**Mr. Mortar**

**Mountain Top**

"Kadabra, use Psybeam!" Robbie shouted, pointing at the large, yellow, fur covered, four legged Pokemon. Kadabra lifted its spoon, firing a multi colored beam of light at the mystery Pokemon.

The Pokemon brushed off the attack with a snort before firing a bolt of electricity at Kadabra, knocking out the Psychic type Pokemon in one hit.

"Kadabra!" Robbie exclaimed in disbelief as his Pokemon came to a halt at his feet, charred from the attack. "Return…What Pokemon is that?"

Robbie took out his Pokedex, taking a quick snap shot of the Pokemon to get its data.

"Raikou, the Thunder Pokemon." The electronic voice began but never continued. The screen showing the picture went blank before a new message appeared. "No further information."

"A Raikou? No info but it's strong and it'll be a perfect addition to my team." Robbie said, taking out Croconaw's Poke-ball, releasing the Gator Pokemon. "Croconaw, use Water Pulse!"

"Cro!" It shouted, firing a condensed sphere of water at Raikou who avoided the attack with its superior speed. From there, Raikou rushed at Croconaw using Quick Attack, hitting the Pokemon dead on. Croconaw hit the ground with a thud while Raikou jumped back, giving it some time to return to its feet.

"It's fast, use Water Pulse again and follow with Bite!" Robbie said, watching Croconaw fire another water sphere at Raikou before making a bee-line toward the Pokemon.

Raikou avoided the Water Pulse with a quick sidestep before finding Croconaw latched on to its leg, chomping down as hard as it could with its teeth. Raikou glared at Croconaw, its fur standing up which told Robbie it was beginning to build up electricity.

"Croconaw, let go!" Robbie shouted, rushing over to his stubborn Pokemon who had returned Raikou's glare, refusing to let go. Robbie grabbed Croconaw's body, pulling as hard as he could to force it to let go.

Raikou enveloped itself in a Thunder Bolt, the attack causing no harm to Raikou but the electrical discharge ran straight through Croconaw's body, electrocuting the Pokemon as well as Robbie. Robbie yelled out in pain, a bright, yellow line marking appearing on his left arm which Raikou recognized instantly. Two pointed ovals beneath his left wrist with several lightning bolts pointing upward just beneath it, the Crest of Raikou.

Raikou cut off its attack, allowing both Robbie and Croconaw to drop to the ground unconscious. Raikou roared, firing a Thunder Bolt straight up into the dark skies above, clearing the clouds that had been hovering over Mt. Mortar for several days now.

With that, Raikou took off in a sprint toward the cliff, taking a huge leap from the high cliff down to the forest below.

**6/4/0046/Evening**

**Ecruteak City**

**Kimono Girls Estate**

"Bye Blake-kun, good luck in the Battle Circuit!" Lana, Yumi and Miyu shouted together, waving to Blake who was exiting the compound. Blake returned their cheers by raising his right hand into the air as a closed fist.

Once the girls were sure Blake was out of hearing range, everyone turned to Nozomi.

"Are you sure its right sending him off on his own now?" Yumi asked, getting a nod from Nozomi.

"He'll be fine. As of right now, only that man with Latios, Stanly and ourselves know that Blake the King has returned." Nozomi explained. "To the rest of the world, he's nothing more than a trainer who aims to get far in the Battle Circuit."

"I realize that he looks normal to everyone else, but now that his Crest reformed, it'll react whenever he's near someone else with a Crest." Hiroko said. "That may help us find the remaining Crests, but what he runs into one of the Dark Crests?"

"Blake-kun is the King, even if he runs in one of the Dark Crests, I'm sure he'll manage to pull through. And even if he's defeated, the Dark Crests can't kill the King yet, not until the Storm begins."

**6/4/0046/Night**

**Ecruteak Battle Dome**

**Lobby**

"I have a challenge?" Blake asked, unsure of what that meant.

"Yes. The Kanto Rookie King has organized a match between the two of you. He's been waiting for a reply for nearly a week." Nurse Joy explained. "Do you accept?"

"Sure." Blake said, wondering what the Kanto Rookie King would be like.

**6/7/0046/Night**

**Ecruteak Battle Dome**

**Stadium**

"Alright, people of Kanto and Johto, we have a special treat for you tonight." The announcer began. "The Rookie Kings of Kanto and Johto will engage each other in battle for the crown of Rookie King over the two regions."

The crowd roared, chanting for the start of the match.

"Blake, you'd better beat this loser from Kanto!" The fans shouted. This match had gained quite a crowd of people who love to watch matches between trainers from different regions, always rooting for the hometown favorite.

"Representing Kanto, in the blue box is the trainer known as Brain with an impressive record of 26-25-1 against Blake, the Johto Rookie King who has a perfect record 25-25-0." The announcer said, introducing the two trainers that had the undivided attention of the crowd.

"Trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted, raising both flags into the air. Blake selected Quilava's Poke-ball, looking across the field at Brain, a brunette that was no taller than Blake, clad in a pair of pale green cargo shorts and a black sweater, holding a Poke-ball in his hand.

Both of them threw their Poke-balls onto the field, surprising the crowd since both of them had used the Hook as their choice throw for the Clash. Sparks went flying as Quilava and a Hitmonchan appeared on the field, both of them glaring at the other.

"Battle begin!"

"Hitmonchan, use Bullet Punch." Brain said, pointing at Quilava.

Hitmonchan burst forward, closing the distance between itself and Quilava in an instant, unleashing a fury of fast punches that sent Quilava tumbling backwards.

"Quilava, on your feet and use Ember." Blake said, watching Quilava quickly get back on its feet, igniting the flames on its back and head before firing a burst of flames at Hitmonchan.

"Hitmonchan, use Fire Punch." Brain said. Hitmonchan right hand ignited with flames. From there, Hitmonchan began to swing its arm in a circular path, taking the flames from Ember to raising the strength of its Fire Punch. "Now attack!"

"Quilava, counter with Flame Wheel!" Blake said quickly.

"Quilava!" It said, its body becoming enveloped in flames. Quilava rushed toward Hitmonchan, hovering four inches over the ground to meet with Hitmonchan's fist. Flames went flying in all directions as Hitmonchan and Quilava fought for dominance.

"Hit-mon-chan!" Hitmonchan shouted, overpowering Quilava in the clash which sent the Pokemon sliding across the ground on its back, its fur charred from the fire attack.

'Hmm, Hitmonchan beats Quilava in power, but I'm sure Quilava is faster.' Blake said to himself, watching Quilava return to its feet, checking its burnt fur.

"Hitmonchan, use Thunder Punch!" Brain shouted, planning to finish Quilava off now.

"Quilava, use the Pyro Quick Attack." Blake ordered.

Quilava burst forward, a red dome forming around its body as it left a red streak in its tracks, rushing toward Hitmonchan who was building up electricity in its left hand.

"Hitmonchan, block it!" Brain shouted, realizing the attack would hit before Thunder Punch was ready.

Before Hitmonchan could place its arms in front its torso in a desperate attempt to block the attack, Quilava rammed itself against Hitmonchan, sending the Pokemon reeling while inflicting a Burn on it.

"Hitmonchan!" Brain shouted as Hitmonchan came to a halt on its back at the center of the field.

"Quilava, follow up with Flame Wheel." Blake said, capitalizing on this opportunity. Quilava continued sprinting, rushing toward the downed Hitmonchan as the Flame Wheel developed around it. As Quilava made contact with Hitmonchan, both of them became engulfed a dome of flames that blocked both of them from sight.

Inside the dome of flames, Quilava, like Hitmonchan was taking damage from the attack, but Hitmonchan received much more extensive since it was the primary target of the flames. The flames cleared which revealed Hitmonchan and Quilava who were both still standing, both covered in heavy burns.

'Huh?' Blake said, confused on why Quilava had taken damage from the attack.

"Hitmonchan, put all your strength into one last Fire Punch." Brain said, beating all or nothing on one final attack. Hitmonchan's right arm, its hand becoming engulfed in flames before it glance at Quilava, ready to attack.

"Quilava, use the Pyro Quick Attack again." Blake commanded since he knew Quilava would lose this clash if it used Flame Wheel.

Both Quilava and Hitmonchan rushed at the other, their final attacks ready. The two met with a burst of flames,Hitmoncham failing to hold its ground for more than a second before it was sent flying in Brain's direction. Brain ducked, narrowly avoiding Hitmonchan's airborne body followed by a loud crash. Brain turned around to see his Hitmonchan resting against the wall of the Stadium, a pair of black swirls replacing its eyes.

The ref ran over to Hitmonchan to check the Pokemon before raising the red flag which declared Blake and Quilava the winners.

"After several explosive clashes between these two trainers, Blake, the Johto Rookie King has come out on top!" The announcer shouted as the crowd burst into cheers for Blake's victory.

"Aww man, I lost." Brain exclaimed, returning Hitmonchan to its Poke-ball before smiling at the round object. "But you did good Hitmonchan."

Blake crossed the field, approaching Brain who was about to leave the stadium. Blake offered him a handshake which Brain accepted as a reporter approached them.

"You may have beaten me this time, but I'm going to win in our next showdown." He said before leaving Blake and Quilava.

"So Blake, how do you feel about your first victory over Kanto?" The female reporter asked, handing Blake the mic.

"It'll be the first of many." Blake replied, looking up at the crowded stands where the people were shouting compliments about his battle.

"And now that you've ascended to the B-Class, what do you plan on doing next?"

"I plan on entering the IBF Tourney." Blake announced, silencing the crowd which was the reaction he was expecting.

"He may be good, but the IBF Tourney is only for the big leagues." Someone whispered.

"He'll ruin his perfect record entering the IBF Tourney so early in his career." Another person said.

"Is there any more questions?" Blake asked, getting a quick no from the reporter. "Alright then, have a good night."

Blake left the stadium, ignoring the crowd that thought his ego was growing from his title as Rookie King.

**Battle Dome**

**Lobby**

Blake and another trainer stood in front of the desk where Nurse Joy was normally stationed to heal Pokemon or assist trainers with their Battle Circuit needs. At the moment, Nurse Joy was missing which prevented these two from moving on with their night.

"Hey, I saw your match." The boy said, getting Blake's attention. "You got some skills. My name's Matt, what are you here for?"

"I'm going to enter the IBF Tourney." Blake responded.

"Really? Me too." Matt said, slapping Blake's back which nearly pushed him over. "Are you from Johto?"

"Yeah, aren't most trainers in Johto, from Johto?" Blake asked in return.

"Well I'm from Kanto." Matt replied.

"What are you doing in Johto then?"

"I don't really know, one night while I was still in Kanto, I met this weird Pokemon that knocked me out. Then I woke up in New Bark Town." Matt explained, the story coming out naturally since he had finally come to terms with the fact that he was stuck in Johto.

"A weird Pokemon?" Blake asked, rasing one eyebrow. "What did it look like?"

"Luckily, I got a picture of it just before it got me." Matt said, taking out his Pokedex.

"You have a Pokedex?" Blake asked as Matt went down the list of Pokemon he had seen and retrieved data on already.

"Yup, I got it from Professor Evergreen in Kanto…here it is. I looked up the Pokemon but it said there wasn't any information on it." Matt replied, showing Blake the picture of the blue, four-legged Pokemon with a long purple mane.

'Suicune!' Blake exclaimed mentally, remembering one of the three Pokemon the Kimono girls had shown him before he left their estate. Blake glanced at Matt.

"Whoa! What're you doing?" Matt asked as Blake grabbed his left wrist, pulling it up so that he could inspect it.

"Let me see your right wrist." Blake said since he couldn't find Matt's Crest on his left wrist, earning a confused look from the boy.

"O-kay." He said slowly, raising his right arm so that Blake could get good look at it. Blake grabbed Matt's forearm, causing a pair of pointed blue, pointed ovals to become visible just beneath his wrist. Below the ovals was a set of lines and a wave that Blake believed were supposed to represent wind and water. "Whoa, how'd you do that?"

"Matt, I believe this will be the beginning of a very strange friendship." Blake said before dropping Matt's arm as Nurse Joy reassumed her position behind the counter.

"What can I do for the two of you?" She asked kindly.

"My name is Blake."

"And I'm Matt."

"And we're both entering the IBF Tourney."

**6/8/0046/Morning**

**Mr. Mortar**

**Lodge**

"Are you sure he's alive?" A deep voice asked.

"What do mean 'is he still alive?' Of course he's alive." A feminine voice replied.

"Well here, put him on the couch until he wakes up."

Robbie shot up from the couch, rolling off the chair and falling to the floor, hitting his head on the glass table that was next to the couch on his way down. The sound of glass breaking caused the sound of two sets of foot steps to come rushing into their living room.

"Ouch!" Robbie shouted, grasping the side of his head which had broken the glass without receiving any cuts.

"Are you okay?" A high pitched girl voice asked, rushing over to Robbie.

"Who're you?" Robbie asked, looking around the room.

"My name is Gwen." The blonde haired girl replied before motining to the large man that was still standing at the entrance to the room. "This is my father. Introduce yourself dad."

"Six…months." The man mumbled under breath.

"Six months? What kinda name is that?" Robbie asked, giving Gwen an odd look which only received a sigh.

"Six months!" The man yelled at Robbie. "I spent six months making that table only to have it break two days after I put it in?"

The man stormed out the room, leaving Robbie dumbfounded.

"I'm sorry; he's a lot nicer than he was just now. But you just smashed the table he had been working on for a few months." Gwen said. "His name is Victor. I'll see if I can calm him down a bit."

"Hang on, do you have a Restoration Machine here?" Robbie asked.

"Yeah, just go down the hall and make a left." She said, pointing to the doorway that was opposite the one she was entering.

"Thank you." Robbie said, receiving a smile from Gwen. Once Gwen had left the room, Robbie gave himself a pat on the back. 'Boy she's cute. But where am I?'

Robbie rose from the floor, observing the wooden walls and plush couch he had fallen off of.

* * *

><p>"Professor Elm?" Robbie asked through the phone, looking at the screen that provided a picture of the Professor in New Bark Town.<p>

"Oh Robbie! It's been quite some time since I heard from you." The Professor said, pushing away the Butterfree that was trying to land on his head. "Is there anything you need?"

"Actually, yeah." Robbie began. "I ran into this really strong Pokemon at Mr. Mortar and when I looked up in the Pokedex, it said there was no information on it besides its name."

Professor Elm's face darkened instantly.

"Robbie, but your Pokedex into the port." He said immediately.

Robbie did as he was told, waiting a few minutes before Professor Elm gasped.

"What, what's wrong?" Robbie asked, pressing his nose against the screen.

"A Raikou has reappeared." Professor Elm said in disbelief.

"What's so special about it?"

"…Alright Robbie. Since you stumbled onto the Pokemon, I guess that means I'll share the details with you." Professor Elm began. "Raikou is a Legendary Pokemon that was believed to have-"

"A Legendary Pokemon? Like Arceus?" Robbie asked.

"Correct. Arceus is the only remaining Legendary up until now. So like I was saying before, Legendary Pokemon were believed to have gone extinct with the exception of Arceus, but now that one of them have reappeared, I'm sure others have returned as well." Elm explained.

"So does this change anything I'm supposed to do?" Robbie asked.

"Nope. In fact, with more training, I would encourage you to try and capture one of them." Elm said, getting a large smile from Robbie.

"With a Legendary on my team, I'd be unbeatable." Robbie said to himself. "Good bye Professor, I have some training to do!"

Robbie hung up the phone and attempted to find his way of the lodge, only to run into Gwen who had been looking for him.

"There you are." She said, greeting Robbie.

"Can you tell me where the exit is? Oh but first, where's your dad?"

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry for breaking your table sir." Robbie said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. "I had no idea you put so much work into it."<p>

Victor glanced at Robbie, raising one eyebrow before snorting.

"I'm sorry to kid. I didn't mean to blow up at you." Victor said, giving Robbie a small grin. "But my daughter told me that she found you out cold on the mountain side, what were you doing there?"

"…Well I was training until I found this really cool Pokemon. I started to battle it but my Croconaw wouldn't let go of it when it was charing up for an electric attack so I tried to pull Croconaw off my self." Robbie explained. "In the end, both of us got zapped."

"Well that's kind of embarrassing." Victor stated. "I was hoping to hear you fought to the death with a pack of Machoke's or dueled with a Golem, not you passed out from an electric attack."

"He-y." Robbie said, glaring at Victor.

"So what Pokemon was it?" Gwen asked.

"I bet it was a Pichu." Victor cut in, getting a glare from Robbie.

"Well it was yellow, on four legs and it had a purple main…oh wait, I have a picture of it." Robbie said, taking out his Pokedex. After scrolling down the list, Robbie stopped at the picture of Raikou, showing the image to Gwen and Victor.

'Raikou!' The two shouted mentally before looking up at Robbie.

"It looks pretty cool doesn't it?" Robbie asked, getting a nod from the two.

"So Robbie, you were looking for the exit right?" Gwen asked suddenly.

"Yup, I have to continue my search my Raikou. If I catch it I'm sure I can become the strongest trainer ever." Robbie declared, raising one arm to flex what he called a muscle.

"Just down the hall right there, and make a right. That'll take you out to the front of the Lodge." Gwen explained.

"Thank you!" Robbie said, gathering his belongings before leaving the room.

After hearing the front door close, Gwen turned to Victor, getting a nod from the man.

"So another Crest has appeared." Victor began.

"What are we going to do Victor?" Gwen asked.

"Well first we're going to follow him. The Dark Crests are rising and I'm sure he'll become a target now that his Crest has formed." Victor replied.

"So we're going to watch over him?"

"Yes, we have to do our part before the Storm arrives."

'The Storm?' Robbie asked himself, leaning against the wall of the hallway which he hadn't left since his curiosity was peaked when Gwen suddenly wanted him to leave. He had faked leaving the lodge pretty well, making it sound like he left even though he hadn't yet. 'What're they talking about?'


	20. The Great Return in Ecruteak

"speech" - regular talking

**"speech" - Legendary Pokemon talking**

**Revised.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20<strong>

**6/8/0046/Evening**

**Ecruteak City**

**Bell Tower**

The always golden skies over Ecruteak City was one of the largest tourist attractions for this city, next to the old fashioned culture that many people wanted to learn about. While many tourist just loved seeing the goldenrod colored skies so often, the actual citizens of the city had grown accustomed the sight, although it was indeed a special sight, especially during a sunset.

Standing at the base of Bell Tower was the five Kimono Girls. They were waiting patiently for the sixth and seventh girls that was supposed to the join them.

"Ah, there she is." Nozomi noted out loud, pointing out Grace and Lana who had just come into view in the crowd streets that led up to Bell Tower.

"Sorry I'm late!" Lana shouted as she neared them, slowing down to a light jog.

"That's fine. So is Blake-kun heading east or west?" Yumi asked, looking toward the dark haired girl who took a moment to catch her breath.

"He's going east." Grace replied.

"So we can assume he's headed for Mahogany Town." Nozomi concluded, getting a nod from her sisters.

"He's traveling with a boy that he met in the Battle Dome." Lana informed them before looking up at the tall tower that was looming over them.

"Good, for now we can let him move freely." Nozomi said before all eyes settled on Grace.

"So does that mean its my turn?" Grace asked, receiving a nod in reply from the girls.

"Yup, we think you're ready to head to the top of Bell Tower and meet with Ho-oh now." Miyu said, beaming at Grace's growth since they had last seen her.

"Really, awesome." Grace exclaimed as Rei stepped over to her, placing a hand on Grace's shoulder.

"We want to you ascend the tower and unite your Crest with Ho-oh. But you have to go through the inside of the tower." Rei explained, pointing up to the top of the tower where they could barely get a glimpse golden column that was protruding from the roof of the tower.

"Well I don't have any flying Pokemon to begin with, but why do I have to go through the inside?" Grace asked, her attention being drawn to Hiroko who had the answer.

"The tower is filled with Pokemon that don't belong there." She began. "During the Dark Days when Ho-oh had to abandon the tower because the people of Ecruteak revolted against it. While Ho-oh was gone, numerous Pokemon moved into the tower because they recognized it as a sacred ground that was ripe for them to conquer."

"So that means they must be really strong." Grace concluded.

"Yes. Battles take place inside Bell Tower on a daily basis. Many trainers have gone into the tower for training, but most people don't make it past the second floor without getting all of their Pokemon knocked out." Nozomi explained, receiving a determined nod from Grace.

"I had to do the same thing in the Whirl Islands. They're really strong." Lana added, which only seemed to add to Grace's motivation

"Good luck Grace." The girls said to her as Grace made her way toward the two collasal doors that acted as the main entrance to Bell Tower.

"Wait, how are you guys going to know when I'm finished?" Grace asked, looking back at the girls.

"Don't worry about that, no one in the entire city is going to miss it." Nozomi replied, motioning for her to continue on.

"...Alright then, see you guys later!" Grace said as she approached the entrance where two monks were waiting for her. The duo of bald headed males gave her a nod before they stepped toward the doors, pulling them open to give Grace access to the tall tower.

The inside of the tower was dark, dusty and very quiet. Wooden beams were the support pieces that were spread out all over the place to hold up each floor. Grace could only wonder how such an old building was still standing despite the number of centuries it had been standing in Ecruteak City.

* * *

><p>"Aaah!" Grace shrieked as she burst through the wooden wall of the tower along with her Tangrowth, the two of the beginning to fall down alongside the tower. "Tangrowth, use Vine Whip!"<p>

The grass type Pokemon raised its right arm, firing several vines at the hole it and Grace had created in the side of the tower while Grace grabbed onto its second arm. Their decent came to a sudden stop before Tangrowth began to pull itself back up into the tower. The tower tower was in terrible shape.

The wooden walls could be broken quite easily, and this was evident by the number of holes in the walls that could be found in the upper floors of tower. It was a very dangerous mission.

"Are you okay Tangrowth?" Grace asked as the two of them rose back up to the entrance to the battle zone that they had been thrown out of. All of Grace's Pokemon had taken quite a beating as they journeyed through the tower, cleaning out each floor of the Pokemon that were present before them moved on to the next.

"Tang, tang." It replied, more concerned with Grace than itself since she had received a few bumps and bruises as well.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Grace replied as they reached the entry point to rejoin the battle. As they climbed back into Bell Tower, they were created by the sight of Grace's Electivire being slammed into one of the wooden support pieces by a group of three Ampharous' in a push match.

"Tangrowth, help Electivire with Power Whip!" Grace shouted, getting nod from Tangrowth as it raised its arms. A thick, green glowing vine extended from each of its wrists which Tangrowth then used to knock away the Ampharous' from Electivire.

Grace's electric type Pokemon thanked Tangrowth for its help before Grace hollered at the two of the follow her across the room where the rest of her Pokemon were still battling.

* * *

><p>'Finally, the last floor before the roof.' Grace said to herself with a small smile as she and all six of her Pokemon ascended the stairs to enter the last floor. Grace's eyes became wide as she looked around at the occupants of the final floor and the sheer number of them that they would have to battle. 'Whoa.'<p>

This would certainly be the toughest part.

"Alright everyone, let's take out as many of them as possible in one go!" Grace declared as the rest of her Pokemon came out onto the floor, ready to receive their commands. "Arcanine, Solar Beam! Lucario, get em' with Aura Sphere! Tangrowth, use Seed Bomb! Metang, use Meteor Mash! Milotic, Blizzard! Electivire full power Thunder Bolt!"

Outside the tower, everyone's attention was drawn to Bell Tower when several flashes of light could been seen from all of the windows followed by each of them being blown out of their stationary position, falling to the ground below.

"Whoa, what's going on in Bell Tower?" The questions flew around the streets like wild fire. They were aware of the battles that took place in Bell Tower quite often, but the battles had never drawn everyone's attention as this one did.

Inside the tower, Grace coughed several times, laying on her stomach since she had been knocked over by the force of the blast. After a few moments, Grace rose up to her feet to check her surroundings as the dust cleared. In the dust cloud, she could see six silhouettes that matched the body types of each of her Pokemon.

The dust cleared away completely after a short period of time, and Grace could see that each of their attacks had knocked out all of the Pokemon on the floor.

"Great job guys, let's finish this job." Grace declared, pointing to the staircase at the center of the floor. This would take them the roof of Bell Tower.

After climbing the staircase, Grace met with a warm breeze. Taking a moment to take in the amazing view she had of Ecruteak City, Grace could tell that this was definitely the place she would want to live in after her Pokemon journey was over. Turning back the roof of Bell Tower, Grace noted that the only noteworthy objects up here was the spiral column that rested precisely in the middle of the roof with four Ho-oh statues surrounding it.

"We made it." Grace said as she walked up to the column. Grace closed her eyes for a moment before she slapped the column with her up here was the spiral column at the center of the roof where the red tiles intersected. "I'm back Ho-oh!"

At the moment of contact, her Crest lit up, revealing its gold color in the shape of a large sun with a rainbow floating above it. The column began to flow, gaining the entire city's attention as the entire roof disappeared inside of the light. From there, a vertical ray of light was fired into the skies, creating a focal point that the orange clouds began to circle around.

For a moment all was quiet as the clouds took shape into the head of the Legendary Phoenix Pokemon. There was a roar from within the cloud before the actual Pokemon burst out of it, hovering over Ecruteak City before it began to fly toward the tower. With each flap of its wings, bright sparkles were showered down onto the citizens who had gathered into the streets.

Shock and awe was clearly evident on everyone's faces. They would've never believed that such a Pokemon existed, but here was was before them.

"Ho-oh! I came back!" Grace shouted, waving at the Phoenix Pokemon as it circled around Bell Tower.

Ho-oh roared once more before it ascended to the top of Bell Tower, gracefully landing at the top of the spiral column. Perched in that position, Ho-oh peered down at Grace, tilting its head sideways before it recognized her Crest.

**"Grace-san, I am grateful for your return."**

"No way, you can talk?" Grace exclaimed, receiving a nod from the large bird.

"**Only with you. We are connected because we share the same Crest. But for now, we must shift our attention to the Storm."**

"What storm is everyone talking?"

**"This is not your typical storm. This is the Storm, where the Crests of Darkness and Light will face off to determine who shall have the right to hold the Crest of the King."**

"But Blake already has the Crest of the King."

**"That changes nothing. The Crest of the King is what they want, and they will stop at nothing to get it. The Dark Crests have already entered the Storm. I can feel it. The loss of the Clear Bell."**

"I'm sorry Ho-oh. We messed up on Mt. Tsuji."

"**That is nothing to worry about right now. We must focus on what is ahead for you, me and the rest of your race as well as my own."**

"Yeah, just tell me what I have to do." Grace said confidently.

"**Unite our Crests."**

Ho-oh jumped off the column it was resting on, landing in front of Grace where it spread its wings, revealing the same exact Crest Grace had on her wrist only it was located on its stomach. Grace gave the large Pokemon a quick nod before she placed her left hand on its Crest.

Both of them gained a golden shroud. This time the light was far smaller than when Grace had first touched the column. Only she had Ho-oh disappeared inside of the light, Grace's Pokemon looking so as not to be blinded by the light.

**Route 42**

Blake gasped in pain as he dropped down to both of his knees, tightly clutching his right forearm. it had began to throb in pain just a few moments before, and it was causing him so much pain that standing was something he could no longer focus on.

"Woah, are you okay?" Matt asked, kneeling down next to him.

"I'm…fine." Blake mumbled out as he rolled up the sleeve of his jacket on his right arm to examine his Crest. The pentagon made up of five smaller triangles now had a second color filling up one of the triangles. Next to the neutral silver that he had gained from Lana, a bright gold filled in the next triangle.

**6/8/0046/Night**

**Bell Tower**

Grace rose up from the ground, rubbing her head to calm the shooting the pain she was feeling. Her entire team was surrounding her, but Ho-oh was missing from the group.

"Ra." Arcanine said, playfully rubbing its nose against Grace's now that she was awake. Grace laughed as she ruffled the fur on top its head.

"I'm happy to see you too Arcanine." Grace with a smile as the fire type Pokemon took a step back, allowing her to stand up. "Where's Ho-oh?"

"**I have left for Hoenn. But if you ever need me, just call."**

Grace looked around for the source of the voice, recognizing it as Ho-oh's, but the Phoenix was no where in sight.

"So we can speak to each other even though you're so far away?" Grace asked out loud, getting several confused looks from her Pokemon.

"**Yes."**

"So why are you going to Hoenn?"

"**The Eons have left this region making it the safest possible for me to rest at-at the moment. Beware Grace, both of the Eons are on the mainland, hunting down the Crests of Light."**

"Don't worry Ho-oh, I'll stay on guard." Grace said, assuring the Phoenix that she would be fine.

**Kimono Girls' Estate**

Grace sat in a semi-circle with the rest of the Kimono Girls, Lana missing from the group.

"That was quite a show you gave the people of Ecruteak City." Rei commented as Grace took a seat. Grace smiled at this.

"Would you expect anything less?" She replied.

"So Ho-oh has gone to Hoenn?" Hiroko asked for clarification, getting a nod from Grace. "And Lana has already met with Lugia so now we're down to three."

"Have you guys found Raikou, Entei or Suicune's Crest yet?" Grace asked, examining her Crest which she could make visible at her command now.

"We haven't yet. We're sure that they're still in the Johto Region, but finding three people from over a million makes this job pretty difficult." Rei replied with a shrug.

"But it's alright as long as they remain invisible. If we can't find them, I'm sure that the Dark Crests can't either." Nozomi added. "And while I know this is off topic, we'll be splitting up again."

"Again?" Miyu whined.

"I know we just got back together, but we've found Blake and Grace. We have to focus our attention on gathering the remaining Johto Crests now." Nozomi continued. "Lana has already left to continue the search. The odds of us finding them is far greater if we split up rather than stick together."

The Kimono Girls sighed at the truth of this fact. Grace looked up in thought, recalling the events at the Tsugi Temple.

"But what if you guys run into the Dark Crests again. Don't you have a way to protect yourselves?" Grace asked them.

"Of course we do. We just sealed them away to train themselves for the Storm." Miyu chimed in.

"It's a little early, but I suppose its the appropriate time to call them back." Yumi added.

"How come I don't know about them?" Grace asked.

"It was before you were born. The Elder suggested that we seal them away until it became necessary for use to them." Nozomi explained. "Come with us."

* * *

><p>"Whoa, I've never been in this room before." Grace said, examining the cave like room they had entered. The entrance to the room was nothing more than a opening in the floor in the one of the many dead ends of the state.<p>

It was pretty dark in the room, although the girls had brought candles with them to give the room a dim lighting. At the end of the rather small room was a glowing horizontal line that ran across the wall with five points on the line. Each of those points glowed in a different color that was clearly visible in the dim light.

"Do you guys remember what to do?" Nozomi asked, getting nod from each of her sisters. "Then let's begin.

One by one, each of the Kimono Girls approached one of the points on the line and placed their hand on it. The lines connected that particular point would disappear as each of them moved their point to a specific spot on the wall. Once all five girls had move their point to its desired location, the lines connected each of them reappeared, taking the shape of a pentagon.

"Woah, how'd you guys do that?" Grace exclaimed only to be shushed by the girls. The inside of the pentagon became a bright cyan that lit up the entire room with several purple blotches mixed in.

"Here they come." Rei said, pointing toward the pentagon. One after another, five Pokemon came out the pentagon, standing on all fours.

"No way, you guys have been hiding these Pokemon for so long?" Grace asked, rushing over to the five Pokemon that were observing their new surroundings. "They're all so cute."

"All of you, don't let her touch you." Nozomi said sharply as Grace neared the Pokemon. As Grace jumped at them, all five of them became a fast moving blur that easily avoided Grace's frontal attack before stopping in front of their respective owner among the Kimono Girls. "Excellent."

Nozomi greeted her Leafeon with a quick nod which the Pokemon returned while Miyu wrapped her Jolteon up in a tight hug, telling it how much she missed it while it was training. Rei dropped down to the floor, engaging her Vaporeon in a staring contest while pressing their noses against each others.

Yumi knelt down next to her Espeon, scratching the Pokemon behind its left ear which gained a purr from the it. Hiroko smiled at her Flareon, allowing the Pokemon to take its place on her shoulder.

"Eevee evolutions." Grace commented, looking at the five girls and their Pokemon.

"It's been a tradition among the Kimono Girls for centuries. Although we'll be abandoning that title now." Yumi said as she threw off her kimono to reveal her new outfit. It consisted of a pair of blue designer jeans with a flora pattern running up the side, a hot pink t-shirt and a demin jacket with the collar flipped up.

The remaining girls did the same to their kimonos, revealing the same outfit Yumi was wearing on the t-shirt matched the color of their Eevee evolution. Together they released the string that held their hair up in a bun, allowing their long black hair to tumble down to their upper back.

"I haven't let my hair down in ages." Hiroko said, examining her hair which she hadn't felt against her neck in years.

"I feel so…free." Miyu said, throwing off her wooden sandals.

"Come guys, there's no time to waste. The Five Sisters of Ecruteak City have work to do." Yumi said excitedly, slipping out of her sandals as well. "Let's go!"

**6/12/0046/Noon**

**Mahogany Town**

Mahogany Town, one of the smaller, lesser known towns of Johto was placed quietly in between two mountains that overshadowed it in size and popularity. It's sole attraction was a Pokemon Gym, but this had been lost during the Dark Days. Most foreigners stumbled onto the town while traveling toward Lake Rage, using the town for rest and lodging.

Matt and Blake slowly moved through the town, having another one of their aimless discussions that Matt would normally start since he couldn't stand the silence Blake preferred. Blake had tried to ignore him, but soon enough he would find himself taking part whether he wanted to or not.

Matt was initially labeled a nuisance by Blake, but after spending some time with the teen, Blake found himself enjoying the time he spent with Matt. It was the first time he had ever gotten into a heated discussion about Pokemon with someone else, no to mention Matt was also a good training partner since they were both aiming for the IBF Tourney.

Blake glanced back at Matt after he received a tap on the shoulder from the boy.

"Your phone." Matt said after he removed his headphones, allowing Blake to take notice of the constant ring that was coming from his Pokedex. Flipping open the device, Blake answered before it could go to voicemail.

"Blake?" Shari called out after repeatedly saying hello.

"Yeah, do you need something?" Blake asked once he recognized her voice.

"Can you meet me in Mahogany Town. We just got a call for a mission." She replied.

"Well I'm already in Mahogany Town but..." Blake glanced at Matt, wonder what exactly he should consider Matt had no knowledge of Blake's situation with Team Rocket. "I brought along someone who might be interested in joining."


	21. Battles in Lake Rage

Chapter 21

**Mahogany Town**

**Team Rocket Mahogany Town Branch**

Blake and Matt each sat on one of the plush chairs that filled up the corner of the small room, Shari seated across them dressed in the usual Team Rocket uniform.

"Is this the new recruit Blake?" Shari asked, observing Matt who was petrified at the fact that he was currently located in a Team Rocket building that was disguised as a Post Office.

"New recruit? Hell no, I'm not joining Team Rocket!" Matt shouted. "Wait a second, Blake you're part of Team Rocket?"

"No." Blake replied with a sigh before pointing at Shari. "Shari, explain."

"Blake and I aren't part of Team Rocket. We joined, but we're not really working for them. I'm with the Pokemon Committee and Blake is just helping me out." Shari explained, getting a confused look from Matt.

"If you're part of the Committee, then why did you join Team Rocket?" Matt asked, trying his best to understand what Shari was talking about.

"Team Rocket has been on the rise in Johto, and even though they've wrecked both Lake Rage and Cherrygrove City, we can't just hit them back because that would put the Committee in a tight position." Shari went on.

"What kind of situation?" Blake asked since he had never gone onto the subject.

"Well you should know already Blake. The Committee is slowly expanding its power over the daily life of people, for example Cherrygrove City. The Committee took over the town when the citizens refused to construct a Battle Dome and forced them to pay a ridculos amount of money to pressure them into building a Battle Dome." Shari explained. "They were just about to force them out of the area when Team Rocket attacked. I heard from Stanly that a trainer now has the Charter for the town so Cherrygrove City so the Committee no longer has control over them."

"Controlling all aspects of life." Blake said to himself. "Giving one fraction absolute power would only throw everything into chaos."

"Right Blake, and that isn't the Committee's goal either. But it appears that Team Rocket is aiming for that by causing as much trouble as they can to keep the Committee distracted, but that's where we come in." Shari said. "We're the inside eye, learning what Team Rocket's real plan is."

"I barely understood anything you just said, so just tell me who I'm helping by joining you." Matt asked, causing Shari to sigh, tightly clentching her fist since she went through the whole explanation for nothing.

"Blake, I'll be right back." Shari said, grabbing the collar of Matt's shirt to drag him out the room with her.

"What'd I do?" Matt asked as Shari closed the door to the room, leaving Blake by himself.

"The Pokemon Committee, Team Rocket, Legendary Pokemon and the Crests of Light and Darkness." Blake said, running a hand through his hair before a loud grunt from Matt came from out in the hallway. "If I really am part of this, what else should I expect to see?"

**6/14/0046/Morning**

**Lake Rage**

"So Shari, what are we doing at Lake Rage." Matt asked bitterly, glaring at the woman who had given him his new black eye.

"Well first of all, Team Rocket captured Lake Rage in order to capture the large number of Gyarados' that fill the lake to sell them." Shari explained. "I don't know where they sell all the Gyarados' to, but the point of this mission is to deal with a band of trainers that have been intercepting our trucks during pick ups. It should only take us three at most to complete this mission."

"So it's a search and destroy mission?" Blake asked, getting a nod from Shari. "Then let's get started."

* * *

><p>"Here comes one of the pick up trunks." Shari said, pointing to the small truck that was heading away from Lake Rage, thousands of Poke-balls filling up the back of the trunk.<p>

"Is that them?" Matt asked, pointing at a group of four trainers that were hiding in some bushes across the street from them, focusing on the approaching truck.

"I'm not sure, but get read incase it is them." Shari said, each of them taking out a Poke-ball.

Each of the four trainers across the street released a large Pokemon onto the street. Now blocking the path of the truck was a Machamp, Rhydon, Ursaring and a Snorlax.

"Get ready guys." Shari said as the driver of the trunk stomped on the brakes, expecting to crash into the Pokemon. "Go!"

As the truck made contact with the Snorlax's stomach, Rhydon, Ursaring and Machamp stepped forward, using their immense strength to push the truck backward, flipping it over.

"Ludicolo, use Hydro Pump." Matt shouted, releasing his partner from its Poke-ball.

"Ludi!" The Pokemon shouted happily before firing a huge stream of water at Snorlax which forced the Pokemon to take a step to its side, bumping into Ursaring.

"Gallade, use Psycho Cut. Ryuu, Dragon Breath." Blake said, releasing two Pokemon to battle with.

"Look out!" One of the trainers shouted, realizing they were under attack when Machamp was hit by a crescent shapped wave of pink energy and Rhydon was engulfed in green flames.

"Magmar, use Fire Punch!" Shari ordered, pointing at Snorlax after releasing her Pokemon.

"Gallade, join in with Leaf Blade."

"Ludicolo, Razor Leaf!"

Ludicolo and Gallade quickly double teamed Rhydon, knocking out the Rock type Pokemon with two Grass attacks, one to its torso and one to its head. Magmar jumped at Snorlax, landing a solid punch to its face with its flame covered left hand but it was brushed off by Snorlax who knocked away Magmar after it landed on the ground.

"Ryuu, use Dragon Breath on Snorlax." Blake said.

"Ludicolo, get in there and use a close range Razor Leaf on Ursaring."

"Machamp, use Cross Chop on that Magmar!"

"Magmar, counter with a double Fire Punch!"

"Ursaring, use Wood Hammer on Ludicolo!"

"Gallade, follow up with Night Slash on Snorlax!"

"Snorlax, use Endure!"

Snorlax tightened up his stance, a golden aura appearing around it before Gallade and Shelgon's attack hit, preventing it from being knocked out from the attack. Magmar thrusted both is arms forward, slamming its hands against Machamp's forearms to hold back its Cross Chop.

Ursaring raised both its arms into the air, both of them gaining a greenish aura before it slammed its hands downward onto the ground where Ludicolo was previously standing.

"Ludi!" It said happily, dancing circles around Ursaring while dodging its attacks with ease. After ducking beneath a horizontal swing from Ursaring, Ludicolo fired off its Razor Leaf attack, forcing Ursaring back.

"Now finish it with Drain Punch!" Matt shouted, watching his Ludicolo land a solid blow to Ursaring's stomach which sent Ursaring flying. Ursaring hit one of the tree turnks that bordered the road, the last of its health disappearing from the attack.

"Stay strong Magmar." Shari shouted to her Pokemon who was slowly being over powered by Machamp.

"Ludicolo, help Magmar out with Drain Punch!" Matt said quickly. Ludicolo turned around, rushing toward Machamp.

"Ludi-colo!" It said, throwing a punch for Machamp's lower torso only for its fist to be caught by Machamp's third arm.

Gallade landed another chain of Leaf Blade's on Snorlax, wearing away at the Pokemon's final defense.

"Ryuu, use Skull Bash to finish of Snorlax." Blake said to his Shelgon, getting a nod from the Pokemon. Shelgon burst out of the bushes, rushing toward Snorlax who was now open for the finisher. Gallade moved out of Shelgon's path, giving it a clear path for Snorlax who took the hit straight to its stomach which flipped the large Pokemon, getting rid of its remaining health.

"Ludicolo, use Drain Punch with your next hand." Matt shouted.

Without any orders, Machamp pushed away the hand of Ludicolo that it had been holding and used the same hand to parry away the Drain Punch before landing a quick jab to Ludicolo's face, forcing it to stumble backward a bit.

"Gallade, use Psycho Cut." Blake shouted, pointing at Machamp who was still locked in combat with Magmar.

With a quick swing of its arm, Gallade fired a crescent shaped wave of Psychic energy at Machamp, hitting the Pokemon from the side. Machamp lowered its defense, gasping in pain from the attack only to meet with a dual Fire Punch from Magmar which knocked out the Pokemon.

"Let's get out of here!" One of the trainers said as they began to leave.

"I don't think so." Shari said, cutting of their only exit with herself and her new Marcargo. "You're not going anywhere."

Soon Blake, Matt and their Pokemon had surrounded the trainers, tieing them up to make sure they didn't go anywhere.

"Thanks again for the help." The Team Rocket grunt that was driving the truck said now that his truck was on the rode once more.

With that he drove off to make his delivery, leaving Blake, Shari and Matt to decide what to do with the trainers.

"What are you going to do to us?" One of them asked nervously.

"Nothing." Blake replied, kneeling down to begin untieing them.

"What? You're not going to take us away and have us tortured or something?"

"Nope."

"We're with the Pokemon Committee acting as doubles inside Team Rocket." Shari explained, releasing them from the ropes.

"Don't worry, this isn't a joke. You're free to go, but just stay out of the area since it's supposed to look like we got rid of you." Matt said, motioning for them to go before any of the Team Rocket partrol units arrived.

The trainers seemed unsure of what to do for a moment before Blake motioned for them to leave. After returning their Pokemon to their Poke-ball's, the trainers without a word, left, all of them wondering if they were dreaming or if this was real.

"Alright guys, lets go give in our report."

**6/15/0046/Early Morning**

**Team Rocket Bunker**

**Admin's Office**

"So the group of trainers left?"

"With their tails between their legs." Shari replied.

"Well if I knew the Free Style Team could get the job done so quickly, I would've called you first." The Team Rocket Admin said, looking up from the mountain of paper work that was on his desk. "Thank for the help but by any chance, are two of you willing to stay at Lake Rage for about two weeks?"

"What for?" Matt asked.

"We just lost two recruits in our capture squads to the Mahogany Branch and we're a bit short handed without them. Are any of you available?" He asked.

"What would we be doing?" Blake asked in return.

"We capture the Gyarados' living in Lake Rage to ship them out. What you'll be doing is engage the Gyarados', battling them and then catching them. It's not a hard job, but the Gyarados' can be pretty feisty sometimes." The Admin explained.

"I'm up for it." Blake said.

"Yeah, me too." Matt added.

"Good, but I have one question. Aren't you two a bit young to be in Team Rocket?"

"Trust me, they look young, but they have enough expierence to match your age." Shari replied.

"That's good…wait, h-ey!" Shari chuckled before telling Blake and Matt not to misbehave while they were here.

"Alright boys, welcome to Lake Rage." The Admin said after Shari left the room.

**6/22/0046/Noon**

**Lake Rage**

"Dustin, slow down." Randy said, becoming even more irritated at the fast pace his friend had set for their walking speed.

"Randy, speed up." Dustin replied.

"Why are you in such a rush anyway?" Randy asked.

"Because I can sense a battle going on." Dustin replied. "Team Rocket must be trying to catch another Gyarados. This way."

Dustin led Randy through the tree line, eventually stopping behind a line of bushes that was close to the source of the all the noise.

"Quilava, use Flame Wheel to dodge it." Blake shouted as both he and Quilava quickly moved out of the path of Gyarados' Hydro Punp attack.

Gyarados continued to aim at Quilava, following the Pokemon that was coated in flames while firing a continous of water at the Pokemon. Using its superior speed, Quilava evaded the attack before turning around to race toward Gyarados.

Over the course of the past week, Blake had been training Quilava against the monster sized water Pokemon of Lake Rage, focusing on Quilava's speed and strength of its fire type moves against water attacks. Quilava slipped under the Hydro Pump, appaoching Gyarados's snake like body where it began to climb up its body, targeting its head.

Gyarados fired another Hydro Pump at Quilava from close range which Blake had been expecting.

"Quilava, Pyro Quick Attack!" Blake shouted. The flames surrounding Quilava was replaced by a red dome that had distrorted Quilava from the intense heat inside it. Quilava charged headfirst into the Hydro Pump attack, disappearing inside the stream of water.

Gyarados smirked, thinking it had won before Quilava suddenly burst out of the Hydro Pump, crashing into Gyarados' forehead which took out the last of its health. Quilava landed on the ground bordering the lake while Blake threw a Lure Ball at the unconscious Water Snake Pokemon, capturing it.

"Nice Quilava." Blake said after catching the Lure Ball that held the Gyarados he had captured, approaching his partner to give it a pat on the head.

"That kid is pretty good." Dustin whispered to Randy, getting no reply. "Randy?"

"Good job Blake. You've gotten better since Azalea Town." Randy commented, stepping out from the bushes while clapping his hands for Blake.

"Randy. What are you doing here?" Blake asked.

"Recon with a friend from the Committee. Dustin, stop hiding, he's a friend." Randy said, motioning for Dustin to come out.

Dustin rose from the ground, stepping out from behind to the bushes.

"You." Blake said, addressing Dustin who he recognized from Olivine City.

"Do you guys know each other?" Randy asked, noticing Blake's glare toward the clueless Dustin.

"I don't think so." Dustin mumbled to himself, trying to remember where he had seen Blake. After a few moments, Dustin snapped his fingers. "Right, Olivine City in the Team Rocket Black Market."

"This is the kid you were talking. No wonder you had a hard time." Randy exclaimed, observing Blake's Team Rocket uniform. "I take it everything is going well in Team Rocket?"

Blake gave Randy a short a nod.

"Finding information is pretty hard. I haven't found a single leak yet." Blake replied before looking at Dustin again who returned his stare.

"What?" Dustin asked after their staring contest ended with Blake as the victor.

"Teach me about Synchronism." Blake said, remembering the strange ability Dustin had used to completely dominate Blake in a Pokemon battle the last time they had met.

"Synchronism…oh right, I forgot I could use that." Dustin exclaimed while Randy palmed his forehead.

"Excuse his idiocy, he constantly forgets he can Synchronize with his Pokemon so just bare with it." Randy explained, watching Dustin release his Medicham from its Poke-ball.

"Medicham, guess what. I can Synchronize with you." Dustin said excitedly to his Pokemon who palmed its forehead since this happened on a daily basis.

"So can he teach it to me?" Blake asked, watching as Dustin and Medicham began to Synchronize with each other, beginning to mirror the others movements.

"Maybe. You can't just Synchronize with any Pokemon, it's a gene that you need if you plan to use it." Randy explained.

"Don't worry, I already confirmed it. He has the gene to use Synchronism." Dustin said, getting their attention.

"How do you know?" Blake asked.

"When ever I'm using the Synchronism, I can detect other people who have the gene as well." Dustin explained, walking over to Blake. "Release all your Pokemon and I'll pass on the ability to Synchronize with your Pokemon from myself to you."

"Does that mean you'll loss this power?"

"No, I'll be giving up a piece of my strength, but I can always get that back." Dustin replied, watching Blake release the other four Pokemon that made up his team, surprising Dustin. "So that Larvitar and Kirlia evolved since our last encounter?"

Blake nodded before Dustin suddenly grabbed his head with his two monstrous hands. Before Blake could question his actions, Dustin slammed his forehead against Blake's, putting him a sort of trance.

Blake's Pokemon were about to rush to his defense when all five of them froze where they were standing, their usual eye color becoming an errie green. Dustin released his hold on Blake's head, stepping back to let the dormant gene within Blake's body to awaken.

"Is that all?" Randy asked, looking at Blake and then Dustin.

"That's all its takes." He replied as Blake shut his eyes for a few moments. Then he opened them, revealing a pair of light eyes that lacked a pupil, his Pokemon's becoming the same color.

Blake remained completely still for a few minutes before he sneezed, snapping out of the trance which also released his Pokemon from the bind that had been holding them. Blake as well as his entire team looked down at their feet at the same time before looking up at the sky.

Together they looked left, then right before settling on Randy, Dustin and Medicham. Blake took a breath before his chest tightened up, retricting his air intake before the Synchronism broke, Blake dropping down to one knee.

"It's incredibly taxing on your body if you use the Synchronism with more than one Pokemon at a time." Dustin explained, watching Blake take several sharp breaths. "But with it active, you can speak to your Pokemon without verbal communication and your commands reach them four times as faster than speaking not to mention it raises you Pokemon's reaction time. The only down side is that you expierence any psysical damage the Pokemon takes during a battle so I'd suggest you stick to using fast Pokemon."

"Alright, thanks." Blake said, looking back at his team which was still a bit dazed.

"By the way, is Shari still here Blake?" Randy asked.

"No, she left about a week ago." Blake replied, getting a sigh from Randy.

"Thanks. Come on Dustin, we have to keep moving." Randy said.

"Aren't you guys doing recon?" Blake asked.

"Well that's our cover, in truth were following a Team Rocket Executive who had traveled to Lake Rage two days ago."

"Ah, that Executive is here to make sure the next shipment of Gyarados' make it to its desination later today."

"Do you know what their doing with all these Gyarados' Blake?" Dustin asked.

"No, the Admin won't share that info with me, he just said to keep capturing Gyarados'."

"Hmm, alright. That means we have to move right now. Let's go Dustin." Randy said, motioning for his partner to follow him, pointing to ther other side of Lake Rage. "Oh wait, here you go Blake. I found this earlier but I have nothing to do with it. I'm sure you can make better use of it than I can."

Randy tossed Blake a dark blue stone with multiple light blue circles that were supposed to represent buubles.

'A Water Stone.' Blake said, quickly catching the stone which gained Poliwhirl's attention. "Thanks."

"Poliwhirl!" It shouted, rushing over to Blake were it reached for the stone, begging for it. Blake glanced at Poliwhirl before handing it the stone, allowing the evolution process to begin, turning Poliwhirl into a Poliwrath.

'Two down.' Blake said mentally as the white light faded away revealing his newly evolved Poliwrath.

**6/24/0046/Evening**

**Lake Rage-North Side**

Blake and Quilava were facing off with yet another Gyarados, practicing the Synchronism which proved to be very effective in giving fast commands.

'Quilava, use Quick Attack to climb up Gyarados.' Blake said mentally, Quilava receiving the command telepathically. Quilava burst forward, leaving a white streak behind it as it raced toward Gyarados while dodging its large tail.

Taking this chance, Quilava jumped onto Gyarados's tail, using this opening to scale the Dragonfish Pokemon's body. Quilava raced up its body, rushing toward its head where Gyarados was charging an orange sphere in its mouth. As Quilava neared its head, Gyarados fired the sphere at it.

'Use Flame Wheel.' Blake said. Quilava curled up into a ball, becoming covered in flames which met with Gyarados' Dragon Rage attack with an explosion.

Quilava emerged from the black smoke unaffected, ramming itself against Gyarados's face which sent the Pokemon down to the ground. Gyarados hit the ground with a loud crash, breaking the solid earth beneath it on impact.

Blake took note of the flames on Quilava's head and back which became a deep scarlet color which he wouldn't have noticed if not for the Synchronism informing Blake of the power that was welling up inside Quilava.

Quilava opened its mouth, releasing an inferno of scarlet flames which engulfed the downed Gyarados, wiping out the rest of the Pokemon's health with its newest Fire type attack.

"Lava Plume." Blake said out loud, capturing the Gyarados with another Lure Ball while Quilava lay on the ground, exhausted from another full day of training. "Very nice Quilava, take a rest."

Blake returned Quilava to its Poke-ball, looking up at the gold skies.

'They're all getting so strong. The IBF Tourney is coming up in two weeks, and we're almost ready.'

* * *

><p><strong>The IBF Tourney draws closer as Blake continues his training, adding his newly evolved Poliwrath and Synchronism to his arsenal.<strong>

**Read, reveiw and enjoy.**


	22. New Region, Foreign Trainer

"speech" - Human talking

**"speech" **- Legendary Pokemon talking

* * *

><p>Chapter 22<p>

**6/25/0046/Morning**

**Route 45**

"Alright Swablu, wrap this up with Air Slash!" Mari yelled to the newest member of her Pokemon team, a small blue bird with huge white, fluffy wings. Swablu is a Pokemon normally found in the Hoenn Region, but during their yearly migration to Kanto, Mari found a flock of them resting one night and managed to capture one before took of the next morning.

"Swa-blu!" The small bird shouted as it swung its wing, creating a ripple in the air that traveled toward the Gligar they had been battling for a little while, taking out the last of its health.

"Nice job Swablu!" Mari shouted as the small bird Pokemon landed on her head.

"Swablu." It said cutely, gaining yet another bone crushing huge from Mari who fell for its little pose every time it did it.

As Mari placed the small blue bird on her head again, she noticed the what sounded like the heavy stomps of an approaching Pokemon.

'Four legs, obviously on the heavy side and really fast.' Mari said mentally before a brown blur whizzed by her, her hair beginning to flow from the gust of wind that past through three seconds after it had disappeared into the rocky distance. 'That way leads to dead end, I wonder where it's going?'

Mari followed the incredibly fast Pokemon she had seen down into the canyon she had been traveling in for nearly a week, finding the tall Pokemon looking up toward the opening of the chasm they stood in, struggling to jump beyond ten feet into the air in its weakened state.

It possessed brown fur that looked soft and smooth with multiple gray triangles protruding from its back along with what looked like fluffy white smoke coming out of its back in between the triangles. Around each of its legs looked like what appeared to be an ankle brace, but Mari couldn't tell if they were natural or if someone had put them their purposely.

'It looks so, majestic.' Mari commented mentally as she took out her Pokedex to take a quick picture of the Pokemon to see what kind of information there was on.

"Entei, the Volcano Pokemon." The electronic voice began. "No further information."

"Aww…" Mari said to herself, taking a pause. "Wait, maybe I have to catch it to get more information on it. Swablu, use Air Slash!"

"Swablu!" It shouted, launching the Flying type attack at the Entei, the ripple in the air hitting it which sent a shiver down Entei's back before it turned back to glare at them.

It roared. Quite loudly. A sound wave exited its mouth, flying toward Swablu who instantly became frightened, returning to its Poke-ball without Mari's command.

'Whaa?' Mari said in confusion before Entei open its mouth, spewing a vortex of flames at Mari who was now defenseless without a Pokemon to help her.

In just a few moments, Mari became surrounded in a vortex of swirling flames that seemed to reach toward the sky, the intense heat on the inside of the cyclone suffocating her. Entei took a few deep breaths before the flames it had fired at Mari suddenly disappeared, getting its full attention.

The Fire Spin attack Entei had use was now getting sucked into Mari's left wrist, a strange marking in bright red swallowing up the flames. Entei jumped back, recognizing its Crest before it sighed, trotting over to the unconscious Mari where it picked her up using its head and tossed her onto its back.

With that, Entei felt a portion of its energy return before it looked up at the top of the chasm, using nine consecutive wall jumps to reach the top where it broke out into a full sprint through the mountainous region of Johto.

* * *

><p>"Whoa, whoa. Lana slow down and repeat that for me." Nozomi said to Lana through the Phone feature on her Lana's Pokegear.<p>

"I said I found Entei in Blackthorn City!" Lana shouted again as she sat on the back of her Dodrio, the three headed bird Pokemon sprinting through the rocky area of Route 45, currently in pursuit of the Legendary Dog Pokemon. "It was shackled to four Rhyperior's with a lot of people from Team Rocket surrounding it."

"How is Entei? Is it damaged in anyway?" Nozomi asked after she understood what Lana was saying.

"It looked like it had been battling for a while and had finally be captured by them." Lana replied.

"Looked? Can you see it now?"

"No. Me and Blastoise attacked the ground and freed Entei, but it instantly took of in a run down Route 45. I lost it nearly an hour ago."

"Hmm, if it was almost captured in Johto, I bet it'll head to Kanto for its own safety since there are so many Dark Crests in Johto." Nozomi said.

"So I should head for Kanto?"

"Yeah, that's your best shot of finding it."

"Alright, thanks Nozomi!" Lana said, ending the call. "To Kanto Dodrio! On the double!"

All three heads of the bird Pokemon roared before it increased its speed again.

**6/26/0046/Morning**

**Kanto Region**

**Route 3**

Mari's eye's fluttered open, taking notice of the tree she was resting under, the sun shinning through the cracks in the leaves.

'Wait a minute, there's no trees on Route 45.' Mari exclaimed mentally as she rose from the ground, noticing the flat area she was in with grassy plains and trees mixed in, but off in the distance she could see a mountain.

"**Human, I'm glad****to ****see ****that ****you****'****re ****awake.****" **A deep voice said, surprising Mari who began to took around frantically.

"Who said that?"

"**It was I." **

Entei walked out from the bushes, observing Mari who was currently gawking at the Pokemon. Mari recognized it as the Pokemon she had attacked her the last time she was conscious.

"So cool!" She shouted, latching onto Entei by its neck impulsively. Being this close to its, Mari could inspect Entei properly, and by the looks of it, Entei was in rough battle from the bits of gravel that was evenly spread throughout its fur.

"**I do not appreciate these actions human."**

Entei was did its best to try and find a way to look at Mari who was resting on its back, playfully rubbing her cheek against the smoke on its back that was actually solid and very soft.

"Oh, sorry." Mari said with a blush. "But I thought Pokemon couldn't speak in human languages."

"**My lips aren't moving when I'm speaking to you. This is telepathic communication between the two of us who are bond together by fate."**

"By fate? Does that make use a golden pair?" Mari asked excitedly, using the common term for what everyone called a trainer and Pokemon that match each other so perfectly that they can understand and work with each other on a different level compared to just any Pokemon a trainer may have captured.

"**Not in that sense. You and I are connected for the sole purpose of protecting humanity as well as all Pokemon."**

"Protecting humanity and humans? Why do they need protecting?" Mari asked, jumping off its back so that Entei could see her.

"**The Dark Days have ended, the first battle between of the Crests of Light and Darkness coming to its close with a time of peace following, but now the Storm approaches, along with the final clash between the two fractions."**

"Whoa, hold up, I'm confused. What does this all have to do with me?"

"**You have my Crest. You will enter the Storm. You will fight alongside the King, or against him. The Legendaries have returned as well as the King. Do not fret Mari, the situation will be explained to you in due time."**

Entei took a step toward her.

"**Unite our Crests."**

Mari stared at Entei as the long mane covering its neck split apart revealing a marking on the Pokemon's neck glowing in a bright red.

'Whoa…' Mari said as he left wrist lit up in the same color. "What do I do?"

"**Place your left hand on it, and our Crests will become one." **

"O-Okay." Mari said nervously before following Entei's orders.

As her hand came into contact with Entei's Crest, the two became surrounded in a red light that shot up to the skies. The bruises, scars and gravel covered fur on Entei disappearing as the Pokemon was healed by the light.

"**Thank you for returning my power to me Human. Now I must take me leave, and prepare for the Storm."**

"Where are you going Entei?" Mari asked before the Legendary Dog disappeared with in the light, leaving Mari by herself. "Hmph, meanie…"

The beam of light closed up around Mari, disappearing into her left wrist, or specifically into her Crest which sent a jolt of pain through her entire body.

'Oww.' Mari said before she fell backward, hitting the ground with a thud.

**Johto Region**

**Lake Rage**

Blake's Synchronism with Poliwrath broke as the Fighting/Water type Pokemon nailed the Gyarados it was currently battling on the forehead with a solid Ice Punch.

Blake dropped down to one knee, holding his right wrist where he could easily see the light from his Crest shinning through his jacket sleeve.

'Grr, why now?' Blake asked himself as he rolled up his sleeve, noticing another new color that filled up one of the triangles of the pentagon on his wrist, this one being a bright red. "Poliwrath, end it with a Break Break!"

"Poli!" It shouted in its newly attained deep voice, landing a chop on the dazed Gyarados' head, the power of the blow sending the large Water Snake Pokemon crashing down into the lake.

"Nice job Poliwrath." Blake said, ignoring the throbbing pain the shot through his right arm every three seconds.

'Another color filled in…' Blake said as he captured the Gyarados using a Lure Ball. 'Something is definitely happening.'

**6/26/0046/Night**

**Kanto Region**

**Route 3**

"Ugh, what happened?" Mari groaned as she rose from the ground, noticing some pressure on her abdomen.

"Pidgey?" The tiny Bird Pokemon said, staring at Mari while tilting its head. "Pid?"

"Hi there." Mari said energetically, hoping to become friends with it. The Pidgey spread its small wings and took off, flying toward the cluster of trees. "Aww…Whoa, it's nighttime already?"

Mari rose up from the grassy field she was laying on, observing her surroundings once again before the memories of Entei flooded back into her head.

"Entei?" Mari said, looking around for the Pokemon that had disappeared earlier. "It must've left, but where am I?"

Mari opened up her Pokedex, going over to the map function to check her current location.

"Route 3 in Kanto!" She screamed.

**6/27/0046/Noon**

**Pewter City**

The semi large city of the Kanto Region rested in between a thick forest and a decent sized mountain range. The city itself was about four miles long, filled with suburban houses around the border of the area while the center of the city was the core to the shopping district of the city.

The city also held a relic from the Old Days, the Rock type Pokemon Gym that had been converted into a museum showcasing the past Gym Leaders and their accomplishments.

Mari came sprinting into the city using the west exit, entering the residential district of the town with Swablu resting on her head.

'Hah, I made it.' Mari mumbled to herself, taking a moment to catch her breath.

The townspeople seemed nice, a woman wearing a bright yellow sundress gave her a smile and a wave as she led a little girl past her toward a park.

"Excuse me?" Mari called out to the woman, getting her to turn back to her.

"Yes?" She asked kindly, motioning for her daughter to go on a head to the park.

"Can you direct me to the Battle Dome?" Mari asked, approaching her.

"Oh sure. Just follow this road into town, you can't miss it. It's on your right." She explained, pointing down the street for Mari.

"Thank you so much." Mari said. "Say thank you Swablu."

"Swablu!" The little bird Pokemon said happily.

"It's no problem. A lot of foreign trainers have been stopping here to prepare for the IBF Tourney, will you be entering as well?" The woman asked.

"No, I missed the cut off date so I decided to do some traveling and training." Mari replied.

"Oh, where are you from then?"

"I'm from Johto, Cherrygrove City."

"Cherrygrove City? Is everything alright over there?" The woman asked, worry evident on her face.

"Yeah, the locals including me have been trying to scrap together some money to get the supplies for repairs." Mari explained. "Other than that last I heard, there's still a lot of people there who haven't had a home so I'm trying to increase my pay out in the Battle Circuit."

"That commendable, a young trainer like yourself working so hard for others." The woman complimented Mari who blushed. "My name is Jenny, it's a pleasure to meet you. What's your name?"

"My name is Mari, soon to be Battle Circuit World Champion." Mari declared to Jenny.

"Well then Mari, I wish you luck in getting the money for Cherrygrove City and for your battles in the Battle Circuit." Jenny said to Mari who gave her a nod and a wide smile.

"Thank you!" Mari said, waving to Jenny before she began to follow the directions she had received from her.

**6/27/0046/Night**

**Pewter City Battle Dome**

**Stadium**

"And now for tonight's nineteenth match between two C-Class trainers, Mari from Cherrygrove City in Johto with a record of 27-26-1" The announcer shouted as Mari took her place in the blue box. "And in the red box is Fredrick who possesses a record of 33-30-3."

The stands were crowded tonight for one match tonight, the main event featuring the Kanto Champion vs an IBF Ranker.

"Trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted, signaling the start to Mari's match.

"Let's do this!" Mari shouted as she used the new Clash she had spent the past month practicing for use in an actual match.

Mari pitched her Poke-ball high into the air, the spherical object making a wide arc as it dropped back down onto Fredrick's Poke-ball, meeting with a burst of sparks. Fredrick's Poke-ball was sent to the ground, bouncing once before releasing his damaged Slowbro while Mari's Bayleef landed on the field, ready to battle.

'The Arc.' Numerous critics identified Mari's Clash that completely over powered Fredrick's basic throw.

"Battle begin!"

"Bayleef, use Razor Leaf!" Mari ordered, kick starting the battle.

"Slowbro, use Withdraw." Fredrick said.

"Bay!" The Grass type Pokemon shouted as it swung its neck in a circle, releasing a horde of crescent shaped leaves that flew towards Slowbro. The shell on Slowbro's tall began to glow before Slowbro became glossy, signifying that its Defense stat had been raised.

Bayleef's Razor Leaf attack rained down on Slowbro, the attack being super effective but causing half the damage it normally would as they bounced off of Slowbro who yawned.

"Alright Slowbro, now use Confusion!"

The volley of Razor Leaf's Bayleef had launched at Slowbro came to a halt, a light blue outline surrounding each of the leafs as well as Bayleef who stared in confusion.

"Slo!" Slowbro said, Bayleef rising into the air.

"Bay?" It said, obviously wondering why it was floating before all of its Razor Leaf attacks were redirected at it, the sharp leaves cutting Bayleef's skin multiple times. "Bay!"

Once the Razor Leaf onslaught ended, Slowbro slammed Bayleef onto the ground, leaving it there.

"Nice Slowbro." Fredrick shouted to his Pokemon yawned in return.

"Come on Bayleef! Can you stand up?" Mari asked her partner, the Grass Pokemon jumping up to its feet to prove that it could continue.

"Use Confusion again Slowbro!"

"Quick Bayleef, use Grass Whistle." Mari said quickly, Bayleef nodding to her before it extended a vine from its neck to pick up one of the leaves on the field.

Once it brought the leaf to its mouth, Bayleef began to play a little tune that produced a sound wave that flew toward Slowbro before it began its attack. As the sound wave hit Slowbro, the Pokmeon became confused, its vision blurring as tried to spot Bayleef with its messy vision.

"Bayleef, use Vine Whip!" Mari shouted.

"Bay!" Bayleef shouted as two green vines extended form its neck toward Slowbro, wrapping around the confused Pokemon.

"Now give it a toss and use Energy Ball!"

Bayleef hurled Slowbro into the air, its vines retreating into its neck before Bayleef opened its mouth, a sphere of yellow and green energy forming in front its mouth.

"Bay!" The Energy Ball attack was fired at the airborne Slowbro who was still confused and unable to defend itself before it disappeared inside a cloud of white smoke that appeared once the Energy Ball made contact with it.

Slowbro came crashing to the ground, creating a small dust cloud on impact.

"Bayleef, finish it with Razor Leaf!"

Bayleef swung its neck in another circle, firing another wave of crescent shaped leaves at Slowbro who was sent tumbling out of the dust cloud it was previously hidden in, the last of its health being eaten away by the consecutive super effective hits which ended the battle.

"Slowbro is unable to battle! Mari and Bayleef are the winners!" The ref yelled, raising the blue flag.

The stands remained silent.

'Right, I'm a foreigner right now.' Mari said, realizing that getting applause was no ease feat as a foreign trainer trying to build up a reputation in a new region. Mari invited Bayleef to follow her as they made their exit, not receiving anything from the typical fans, only the die hard critics mentally complementing Mari on a job well done.

**Lobby**

Mari sighed as she took a seat on one of the small sofas in the lobby, trying to decide where she could go next since she was now in the Kanto Region courtesy of Entei.

'I don't know a thing about Kanto or where to go. And my Pokedex has no details on the cites so I'm basically a lost tourist.' Mari said flatly.

"That was a good battle." A calm female voice said.

"Mommy, is she the one with the Bayleef?" A high pitched voice asked.

"Yes Kayla, this is her."

Mari looked up, seeing Jenny who she had met earlier today along with her daughter standing in front of her.

"Oh, thank you." Mari said kindly, trying to cheer herself up.

"What wrong? That was great battle you had tonight." Jenny asked, dropping down next to Mari. "My daughter thinks so too. Right Kayla?"

"Bayleef went boom, boom, boom!" The small girl said, emphasizing the explosions by taking small jumps.

"Aww, that's so cute." Mari impulsively grabbed the small girl in a hug before releasing her, mumbling to herself. "...Sorry, I tend to do that without thinking."

Kayla was confused on why Mari was apologizing for hugging her while Mari shared what had happened to her in Goldenrod City when her old habit from when she was younger resurfaced.

"After that I was taken to the police station for questioning. Professor Elm bailed me out though. Since then I've been trying not to do that, but it's really hard sometimes." Mari explained sheepishly with a nervous laugh while Kayla went off, trying to reenact Mari's battle with Bayleef while Jenny gave her an odd stare.

"Is something bothering you?" Jenny asked, returning to the original topic of the conversation.

"Oh yeah, I think it's just because I'm in unfamiliar surroundings. I'm completely lost at the moment since the map feature on my Pokedex is a bit useless and I don't know where to go."

"Ah, what do you plan on doing here in Kanto. Why did you come here?" Jenny asked.

"Well to be honest I didn't even mean to come here, but now that I'm here I might as well have a few battles in the Battle Circuit and do some training." Mari responded before she realized that Jenny could probably help her. "Do you know any places I could do that?"

"Hmm…" Jenny took a moment to think about.

"What about Saffron City mommy?" Kayla said, surprising her mother.

"Saffron City, that's right Kayla." Jenny said with a smile, patting her daughters head. "Head to Saffron City, that's the core of Kanto's Battle Circuit so you could meet a lot of trainers to battle while your there. And Celadon City is also a good place to go."

"Celadon and Saffron City." Mari mumbled to herself, taking some time to search her Pokedex's map feature for the two cities. "Oh boy, that could take me over a week to travel to. But that's no problem, thank you Jenny. And I didn't forget you."

Mari ruffled Kayla's short hair, the girl returning her smile.

"Good luck Mari." Jenny said, waving to the girl that was headed for the Battle Dome exit.

**6/28/0046/Twilight**

**Johto Region**

**Ilex Forest**

Two dark figures clothed in brown robes quietly strolled through the thick mass of trees known as Ilex Forest, each of them carrying a large bell that matched the size of their head.

"You've done quite well delivering the Bells to me. I apologize for taking so long to arrive, I was caught up in my daily affairs." A rather old, weary voice said.

"It was no trouble at all, they practically gave them to me." The other figure replied as the trees parted, revealing the Ilex Forest Shrine. The older voice chuckled.

"Excellent, the preparations are almost complete. All most all the Equalizers have been collected." The old voice went on as they approached the Shrine. "Hang the Tidal Bell on the left side."

The two of them became quiet for a moment, latching the chains of the Tidal and Clear Bells to the side of the Shrine doors.

"Good, now open it."

The second figure pulled open the Shrine doors, revealing a shiny silver spoon, a black cylinder and a golden seed that was surprising large.

"The Twisted Spoon, Miracle Seed and Charcoal. Three out of five. Have you found any leads on the Magnet or Mystic Water?" The old voice asked.

"The Magnet remains an enigma, but the Mystic Water has been found and located, but capturing it has been rather…troublesome."

"How so?"

"Well the owner has deemed himself the protector of it, and our many attempts to take it has resulted in the detainment of our allies."

"I see...Alan, I want you to retrieve the Mystic Water yourself, the Storm is approaching, and I'd like to be fully prepared."

"Yes Master." Alan said, taking a bow to the older man who sighed.

"Please don't call me that, you know I don't like being called that. But the title King will be quite fitting once this is over."

* * *

><p><strong>I know there's a few people out their who've actually been following my fic and you have my thanks, and now after such a long wait, the plot will begin to move forward. Trust me, if I said that before, I mean it this time.<strong>

**Read, Review and Enjoy!**


	23. The Next Move

Chapter 23

**6/29/0046/Morning**

**Olivine City**

**Seaport**

"Big bro, I back!" Robbie shouted, barging into the small shop.

"Robbie, what are you doing here, I thought you said you wouldn't be back until you could afford to feed yourself?" A kind of deep voice asked from the back.

"Is it wrong for me to drop in on my beloved brother Ricky and see how he's doing?" Robbie asked in return.

"If you're going to eat something, get out now." The voice replied as an older version of Robbie stepped out from the back of shop carrying a crate in his arms.

"Is that a new shipment?" Robbie asked curiously as his brother placed the crate on the counter.

"Nope, don't you remember this box? It has our prized possession in it."

"Oh right, the Mystic Water."

"Yep, I've been wondering what to do with lately since its just taking up space and no one wants to by this old relic." Ricky explained, opening the crate that was obviously to big for the small necklace it held inside it.

The necklace was nothing but string and a small, water drop shaped pendant that appeared too filled with a blue liquid.

"Anyway, I saw you on tv last week, Olivine City's newest C-Class trainer." Ricky said, pointing at Robbie who grinned.

"That's right, soon to be Olivine City's first Battle Circuit World Champ." Robbie corrected him, Ricky rolling his eyes. "But I've got some news for you bro, I decided that I'm going to Sinnoh."

"Sinnoh? What for?"

"Well simply because the Battle Circuit standards are higher there since the trainers are so much stronger than what I can battle in Johto." Robbie explained. "I lost in the Rookie Kings so I need to focus on my training, and what better place than where the Golden Flash made is rise to stardom."

"Hmm, I see. The trainers in Sinnoh are tough. Don't be a sore loser if you get beaten there." Ricky said with a smirk.

"Don't worry bro, you'll be hearing all about how I won every match in Sinnoh pretty soon, I'm going straight to the top." Robbie declared.

"So you have everything planned out?"

"Yup, I already have my ferry ticket to Canalave City." Robbie responded, giving him a thumbs up.

"And how's Pidgeotto?"

"Perfect condition, in fact I think its going to evolve pretty soon."

"Alright then, good luck in Sinnoh Robbie, I'll be watching from here." Ricky said, getting a smile from Robbie who gave him a wave before heading toward the exit. "Hold up Robbie, take this with you."

Robbie turned around, barely managing to catch the Mystic Water which Ricky had tossed to him.

"Take it with you to Sinnoh, consider it a good luck charm."

"Thanks Ricky, see ya." Robbie said, pocketing the old item before rushing out the door when he realized his ferry to Sinnoh would be leaving pretty soon.

"Crazy kid." Ricky mumbled to himself with a smile as he walked toward the door, remaining at the entrance to the store to watch Robbie disappear into Olivine harbor where his ferry was located. 'Good, at least the Mystic Water will be out of Team Rocket's reach for now.'

**Harbor**

Robbie pushed his way through the crowded area, the large ferry boat he would be taking to Sinnoh looming over the area. It matched the size of a cruise ship since so many people were heading to Sinnoh now that vacation was rolling in.

"Whoa!" Robbie exclaimed as the boardwalk leading to the ship came into view, dozens of people filling it as they waited to board. "This is going to be so awesome."

Following Robbie from a distance was Victory and Gwen. The duo Robbie had met up in had been tailing him for the past few weeks.

They followed him down , through Ecruteak City and all the way to Olivine City.

"Can you feel that?" Victor asked Gwen, getting a nod from the girl.

"That dark presence?" Gwen asked in return.

"It must be a Dark Crest." Victor whispered as they watched Robbie began to walk up the ramp that led up to the deck of the ship. "Come on, let's hope this ship leaves before he or she locates us."

The duo quickly joined the line that led onto the ship, planning to act as stowaways to follow Robbie to Sinnoh.

The ship's horn blared as it surged forward, leaving the harbor, a crowd of people on the top deck waving to the friends and family they were leaving behind as they took off for Sinnoh.

Robbie himself was waving to Ricky who he had spotted in the mass of people, his brother returning his wave until he was nothing but a speck in the distance.

'Well, now I'm off to Sinnoh.' Robbie said once the Olivine harbor had become too small for him to see anymore, the vast ocean and blue skies being the only thing he could see to his left and right. "Croconaw."

Robbie released his partner from its Poke-ball, inviting the Pokemon to follow him as they began to head toward the lower levels of the ship through a small staircase at the end of the deck.

**6/29/0046/Noon**

**Kanto Region**

**Celadon City**

A lone male trainer ran through the outskirts of the city, using the tree line as cover while trying to steady his breathing.

"Mightyena, are you okay?" He asked, looking around for his wolf-like partner Pokemon. After a few moments, he heard a soft growl from behind, the black, four legged Pokemon standing behind him with a small gray U-shaped object in its mouth.

"Ragh." It replied before shaking itself so that it could get the dust and dirt off its fur.

"And the Magnet?"

Mightyena dropped the Magnet onto the ground in front its trainer so that he could collect the object and place it in his back pack again.

"Good job. We almost lost it that time." He said, wiping the dust and dirt off his blue denim jacket and jeans before checking his hair. The usual mess of black of hair he possessed had nearly been lost earlier today in his latest confrontation with Team Rocket.

"Boy, now I need a haircut." He mumbled to himself as he tried to smoothen out his hair. "Come Mightyena, it looks like Celadon City is getting way to dangerous for us."

Roy, the twenty two year old Pokemon trainer sighed to himself as he was forced to leave yet another city because he was being hunted by Team Rocket.

**6/30/0046/Late Morning**

**Johto Region**

**Olivine City**

A single male quietly approached the large city by air, standing on the back of the Legendary Eon Pokemon known as Latios. He wore a plain brown cloak that covered his entire body, hiding everything but his head from sight.

"Latios." Alan began, looking down at the blue and white Pokemon. "Morph into a Pidgeot, we have to look normal."

The Eon Pokemon hissed at him before grumbling to itself as its became enveloped in a white light. Its body shape changed from that of a well designed aircraft to an actual bird Pokemon, a form Latios hated.

"He lives somewhere in the harbor so we'll start there." Alan said, pointing toward the market at the southern end of the city where ships were docking and leaving constantly.

* * *

><p>Ricky sighed to himself since Robbie was probably halfway to Sinnoh by now.<p>

"Boy, he's still just a C-Class trainer, but who know what'll happen to him." Ricky muttered to himself as he took off his store apron. "I hope he does well in Sinnoh."

Ricky tossed his apron onto the counter and exited the shop, leaving the door unlocked in case a customer dropped in while he was gone.

'First I have to stop at the fish market, then the produce market and then I'll head over to Maria's house and see if she wants to go out to dinner.' Ricky said to himself mentally, looking down at the list he held in his hand.

**Lake Rage**

**Team Rocket Bunker**

Blake and Matt stood before the Admin that sat behind his desk, writing out a check for the two of them for capturing so many Gyarados' in the past two weeks as well as for helping out with a few of the deliveries.

"We're getting paid?" Matt asked out loud as the Admin placed the check in his hand.

"Yup, its rare jobs get done so efficiently here so I reward my workers when they do their work properly." The Admin explained with a small smile.

"Thanks." Blake said, folding up the check. "I'm going to change and then I'm out of here."

Blake turned on his heels, giving the Admin a wave before exiting the room in silence.

"Hey Blake, wait up." Matt said, waving to the Admin before chasing after Blake, leaving the older man alone in his office.

The Admin chuckled to himself, looking back down at the paper work he still had to fill out.

'Great, even in this organization the young are out on adventures while us oldies are stuck doing paperwork.' The Admin muttered to himself mentally, tempted to flip over his desk and leave work for the day, but the higher ups would have his head if this wasn't in by the end of the day.

**Route 43**

Blake and Matt, who had changed back into their casual clothing, leaving their Team Rocket uniforms in the Bunker, were now traveling through the grassy Route, heading for their next destination.

"To Blackthorn City, and the IBF Tourney!" Matt declared, pointing at the sky with his index finger while Blake sighed. "Can you believe Blake, this is our chance to go straight to the top of the IBF."

"Yeah, I made it this far, but the IBF Tourney is going to be filled with trainers from every region, including the Champions." Blake stated, his excitement beginning to rise when he realized that he would be battling trainers that meant business now.

"I could care less who entered, cause I'm going to beat everyone and show them all just how strong I am." Matt replied confidently.

"We're the super rookies in this tournament so everyone expects us to loss early on. But we're going to prove them wrong right?" Blake asked, glancing at Matt who gave him a nod.

"Yeah, super rookies unite!" He shouted as he and Blake bumped fists.

"To the top." Blake began, pausing for Matt to continue.

"Of the world!" Matt finished with an overzealous shout.

**6/30/0046/Night**

**Olivine City**

**Residential District**

"Thanks for such a wonderful date Ricky." Maria said kindly, getting a nervous chuckle from Ricky as they walked up the pathway to her house. His amber haired girlfriend matched Ricky at the humble age of twenty two.

"It was no trouble, Robbie left for Sinnoh so I want to celebrate with someone." Ricky said with a sly smile, causing Maria to giggle.

"And by that, you mean you're lonely?" Maria asked, getting a snort from Ricky.

"Please." Ricky replied sarcastically before pausing. He glanced at Maria who was waiting for the real answer. "…Just a little bit. But I was hoping you would help me keep the loneliness away."

Ricky produced a small velvet box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a small silver ring with a semi large diamond on it. Maria gasped when she saw the ring, covering her mouth with hand.

"Will you marry me?" He asked genuinely before he found two arms wrapped around his neck.

"Of course I'll marry you Ricky!" She shouted, throwing herself on him in a hug, Ricky barely managing to catch her as he spun in a circle the two of them laughing.

After a good minute, the two of them quieted down, Maria placing a small kiss on Ricky's cheek before retreating into her house.

"Yaahooo!" He shouted, taking a leap into the air where he clicked his heels together before taking off in a sprint.

During his entire walk home, Ricky was as happy as he could possibly be, skipping through Olivine City without a care in the world.

* * *

><p>Ricky opened the door to his shop, humming a happy tune until he spotted a brunette sitting on one of the seats in front of the counter clothed only in a cloak.<p>

"Oh, I'm really sorry." Ricky said when he remembered that he hadn't come back to the shop after he left in the morning. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long. I came this morning and waited." He replied as Ricky quickly got behind the counter.

"I'm really sorry, I had a date." Ricky said shamelessly.

"It's no trouble at all. My name is Alan, I'm what you'd call a pack rat but I collect rare treasures."

"So, what can I do for you?"

"I heard I could get find a Mystic Water here."

"I'm sorry, but it's gone."

"…Gone?" Alan repeated the last word of the sentence.

"Yeah, I sold it earlier today." Ricky replied.

"To who?"

"Sorry, but I don't share that kind of information, customer security and all that."

"No, I think you can tell me."

"Umm, no I can't. It's for my safety as well as yours since we'd get sued for telling that kind of stuff to other people."

Alan's dropped his cloak, revealing his Team Rocket uniform as well as an enraged facial expression.

"Tell me where the Mystic Water is!" He shouted at Ricky, reaching over the store counter to grab his shirt collar.

"Team Rocket…I knew you'd come back, so I gave the Mystic Water to someone you'll never find." Ricky said with a smirk, causing Alan to visibly become angrier.

The store exploded, a cloud of purple rising into the sky from the store as debris flew out in all directions, causing some damage to the surrounding buildings while the explosion set off a few car alarms.

After a few moments the purple cloud was swallowed up in black smoke, Alan bursting out of the smoke on Latios' back, disappearing into the night time sky.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry if it seemed short, but now everything is moving along steadily with Alan's third appearance. Please Review, I'd like any feedback on how everything seems at the moment.<strong>

**R & R**


	24. An Ancient Discovery

Chapter 24

**7/1/0046/Midnight**

**Olivine Harbor**

Sirens were blaring and lights were flashing as multiple ambulances surrounded the remains of what used the be the small gift shop owned by Ricky, smoke billowing from the small area even though their were no visible flames.

"What happened?" Officer Jenny asked, approaching the Fire Chief who was currently investigating the scene.

"Something exploded inside this building, but we can't determine the source at the moment." He explained, glancing at Officer Jenny.

"Can't you go in and check?" She asked.

"We already sent in two men with a squad of Wartortle's, but we haven't received any word from them yet." The Fire Chief responded.

There was a loud shout that gained their attention.

"What's going on in there?" The Fire Chief shouted using his communicator.

"There was some kind of purple ooze on the floor that was creating the smoke, but when two of the Wartortle's came into contact with it they-Gah!" One of the Fireman tried to explain before he was cut off.

A body burst out the smoke being pushed by a powerful stream of water. Following the body of one of the Firemen was one of the four Wartortle's that was sent in, also being pushed by a cannon of water.

"I repeat, what's going on in there?" The Fire Chief shouted as Officer Jenny ran over to the unconscious Fireman and Wartortle.

The second Fireman and Wartortle came flying out the smoke like the previous two, both unconscious which left the Fire Chief to wonder what happened for them be knocked out and then blasted out the building by water.

"War-tortle!" A deep voice shouted as two more bodies emerged from the smoke. The remaining two Wartortle's that had been sent in stepped out from the black smoke, but neither of them looked like how they did when they were first sent in.

The Turtle Pokemon whose skin was normally blue with a white tail and ears was now a dark purple, its tail and ears colored in a faded purple, two large fangs protruding from the turtle Pokemon's mouth.

"What is that?" The Fire Chief said out loud at the two growling Water Pokemon before they lunged at him.

On instinct alone, the Fire Chief jumped to his left, narrowly avoiding the dual attack.

'Something's wrong…we trained them never to attack us.' The Fire Chief noted as the Wartortle's landed with a roll before noticing Officer Jenny to their right.

Together they jumped at the defenseless woman who had yet to release her Pokemon, shock written across her face.

"Wartortle, return!" The Fire Chief shouted as he raised two separate Poke-balls, firing a beam of red light at each Wartortle, forcing them back into their Poke-balls just before they got to Officer Jenny.

"Wha-What happened to them?" She asked, releasing the breath of air she didn't realize she had been holding.

"I don't know, but I need to make a call to Professor Elm."

**7/1/0046/Morning**

**Olivine City**

**Residential District**

"Hello?" Maria said happily into her phone, answer the call after rushing from the kitchen to make it in time.

"Is this Maria Holker?" A female voice asked.

"Yes."

"I'm calling to inform you that your fiancé Ricky Blinner was killed in an explosion last night. The cause hasn't been determined but-" Maria slammed the phone on its receiver, ending the call.

'Who would play such a horrible prank?' Was the first thought that went through her mind.

The phone rung again, but Maria decided to ignore it since it was probably the prank caller again. After a half an hour of her phone ringing, Maria had grown tired of hearing the device continue to produce its annoying sound and answered it again.

"Will you stop calling my house!" She screamed into the phone.

"Listen Miss Holker, I know you don't want to believe me, but what I'm speaking is the truth." The female voice continued.

"How do I know I can believe you?" Maria asked skeptically.

"Turn on your tv to the news, right now."

Maria did as she was told, changing it to the news channel where she saw an aerial view of the Olivine Harbor, smoke billowing from a destroyed building. No matter how much Maria wanted to deny it, she knew that area all too well since she passed by it nearly every day to visit Ricky at his shop.

"No." Maria whispered.

"His funeral will be held in four days if you plan to attend. I hope this doesn't-" Maria hung up the phone with trembling hands.

'No…he can't be dead. We were going to get married and have children and…' Maria stopped, the image of Ricky's grave formed in her mind.

**7/5/0046/Early Morning**

**Olivine Cemetery**

"We will dearly miss Ricky Blinner." The spokesmen said, looking around at the large group of people that were dressed in all black. A pretty big group had gathered since Ricky was good friends with nearly everyone that entered the Olivine Harbor on a daily basis.

Most of them had managed to remain quiet during the spokesman's talk, but nearly everyone was ready to burst into tears, all except Maria Holker. The entire crowd had already expressed how sorry they were for the loss of her fiancé, but the young woman seemed to be in daze.

Sniffles and sobs flew around the crowd like wildfire as they lowered the casket down into its place, six feet below the ground. Maria visibly tensed up as they began to fill the hole.

* * *

><p>"Miss Holker, aren't going to go home?" The spokesman asked Maria who was sitting in front of Ricky's grave with a blank expression.<p>

"I'm not sure." She replied after a long pause, remaining she was.

"There's going to be a bad storm tonight so I suggest you get home soon." The spokesman said, glancing at her one last time before looking up at the cloudy skies.

**7/6/0046/Morning**

A close friend of Ricky's, a light skinned brunette that went by the name of Roger Flog dropped by his friends grave since he missed the funeral with a bouquet of flowers only to find Maria seated in front of Ricky's grave, drenched in water and curled up tightly to keep warm.

"Maria?" Roger exclaimed, getting her attention. Their eyes met, but the normally cheerful eyes Roger was used to seeing in Maria were gone, replaced with despair and sorrow.

"Hmm?" She replied.

"How long have you been here?" He asked.

"Maybe a day or two, I'm not sure." She responded before returning her stare to Ricky's grave.

"Are you serious?" Roger said before he grabbed her right bicep, hauling her up from the ground. As she stood on her feet, she fell over, Roger managing to catch. "You're soaking wet…come on. I'm taking you to your house."

* * *

><p>Roger waited patiently at the bottom of Maria's staircase, hoping the girl would change out of those wet cloths since she was bound to catch a cold staying in them for so long.<p>

After waiting for a least an hour, time Roger spent channel surfing, Maria finally came down the stairs dressed in a huge white t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Her hair was still soaked, but that didn't seem to bother her as she dropped down on the couch silently.

Roger quickly retrieved a towel from the upstairs bathroom and returned to Maria where he took the time to dry her hair. Once he finished, he noticed that she had been staring at the one thing the entire time.

Quietly he followed her line of sight before spotting a picture of her and Ricky, Maria resting on his lap, both of them blushing quite heavily since Roger barged into the closet they were hiding in with a camera, catching the two of them kissing. After that Ricky had caught him and gave him a thorough beat down.

Roger suddenly felt downhearted when he realized the growing the relationship between the two that had been advancing perfectly had been destroyed in the span of a day.

"Maria?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm not sure…" She replied after a long, silent pause.

"Well I have to go to work, but I'll be back to check on you tonight." He said. "I'll leave on the tv if it helps."

**7/6/0046/Night**

"Maria." Roger said, entering her home with the spare key he had taken in case she didn't answer the door when he returned. He was greeted with the house exactly how he left it except Maria was missing.

'Where would she go…?' Roger asked himself before a light bulb flashed over his head. 'Of course.'

* * *

><p>"Maria!" Roger said, approaching the girl who was once again seated in front of Roger's grave in the darkness of night, staring at it.<p>

"Hmm?"

"I know its summer, but you'll catch a cold staying out all night dressed like that." He said to her, lifting her off the ground like he had earlier today.

Maria remained silent, focusing on Roger now who was staring at Ricky's grave. Roger could feel tears threatening to sneak out his eyes but he blinked several times to force them back.

'No, I have to remain strong for Maria, she's already broken.' He said, punching his stomach to distract himself from the depressing thoughts that were entering his mind before leading Maria back to her house.

**7/9/0046/Morning**

**Maria's House**

Over the course of the last few days, Roger would visit Maria just to make sure she was okay, but each time he dropped in at her house she wasn't there. After a brisk walk to the cemetery, he'd find the girl seated in front of Ricky's grave, quiet as a mouse.

From there he'd take her back to her house in the morning, go to work and check on her in the afternoon only to find her in the cemetery again. Twice a day he'd lead her back to her house where he left her staring at a photo album filled with pictures of herself and Ricky.

Roger understood how lonely Maria was feeling, and out of the goodness in his heart, he purchased a Skitty for her to keep her company while he was working. The small feline Pokemon had kept her home the next night which gave Roger some relief, when he returned from work he found the Skitty unfed and sleeping on the couch which caused him sigh inwardly.

"Maria…" Roger muttered with a sigh as he dragged the girl back into her house.

Skitty playfully ran up to Maria once she stepped into the house, rubbing its cheek against her ankle. Quietly, Maria scooped the Pokemon of the floor, holding it in one arm while petting it with her open hand.

'At least she's getting close to Skitty.' Roger said mentally, watching her drop down onto the couch like she would everyday, the small cat Pokemon purring in her arms.

The phone began to ring, something that surprised Roger.

'Must be someone who's trying to comfort her.' He said as he answered. "Hello?"

"Yes, is this the Holker residence?"

"Yup."

"I'm calling for a Miss Maria."

"Umm, she's in but she can't talk right now. I can take a message." Roger said, glancing back at the silent woman who was seated in her living room.

"My name is Professor Elm, and I was called in by Officer Jenny to investigate the cause for another event surrounding Ricky's death, and I believe I've found something of interest." Elm explained. "If you could come down to the court house, I'll explain everything."

* * *

><p>Maria and Roger sat in the waiting room of the court house, Maria looking down at her Skitty who rested on her lap, quietly taking a snooze.<p>

Roger had gotten used to the silent Maria since any conversation he started with her ended with silence, the young lady remaining silent.

"Ah, Roger and Maria. I'm glad you're here." Professor Elm said, waving to the two of them from a doorway not to far down the hall from where they were seat. "If you could join me in this room."

"Come on Maria." Roger said, motioning for her to follow.

Upon entering the room, Roger, Maria and Skitty were greeted by dozens of small machines, but the one that had their attention particularly was a capsule that contained a purple liquid.

"Alright Professor, what did you find?" Roger asked as the man gestured for them to follow him over the capsule.

"Inside this capsule is a liquid. This is liquid was supposed to have been removed from this earth completely about fifty years ago with the disappearance of the Legendary Pokemon." Elm began.

"Wait, Legendary Pokemon as in Arceus?" Roger asked, interrupting the Professor.

"Yes, this liquid is produced by Legendary Pokemon when they've been enraged by an outside force that we've named Pokeosis. But, while Legendary Pokemon produce this chemical, if they or any other non-Legendary Pokemon comes into contact with it, they become a shadow of their former self.

"So what does that have to do with Ricky?"

"Everything. We found a large sample of Pokeosis at Ricky's death bed, in fact he was covered in it which leads me to believe that he came into contact with a Legendary Pokemon the night of his death." Elm went on.

"How do you know it's this Pokeosis?"

"Because the same night two Wartortle's came into contact with it and became Abyss Pokemon."

"Abyss Pokemon?"

"Yes. It's an old myth from the Old Days that I researched recently. In the Old Days when Legendary Pokemon could roam freely, Pokeosis was a chemical that actually improved the strength of Pokemon. But at some point the chemical formula was altered, resulting in the creation of Abyss Pokemon." Elm continued. "Abyss Pokemon are dangerous. There far more aggressive, violent and bloodthirsty than your regular Pokemon. And with the creation of Abyss Pokemon, came the start of the Dark Days."

"No way, the Dark Days."

"Yes way, but what has me worried is the reappearance of the ancient Pokeosis as well as the return of the missing Legendary Pokemon. This could result in a repeat of the Dark Days."

**7/10/0046/Noon**

**Blackthorn City**

**Battle Dome**

One of the many firecrackers that were hurled into the air exploded, setting the stage for the beginning of the IBF Tourney. The first round of the one of the largest tournaments in Johto would be taking place in Blackthorn City.

The city was large, resting at the base of three different mountains, , Dark Cave and Ice Path. Still, even though they had a limited amount of space, the city was large. Unfortunately, the possessed nothing from the Old Days since it was one of the cities that was wiped clean off the map.

Although it was thought that nothing was there to begin with when the city was being rebuilt, a large quantity of Dragon Scales could be found in the northern part of the city leading people to believe that the area was once heavily populated with Dragon type Pokemon.

The Blackthorn City Battle Dome was large, almost on par with the Goldenrod City Battle Dome, but unlike the Goldenrod Dome, it only possessed two smaller Domes branching out from the main one. Seating was pain since the capacity limit had been crossed by people who had traveled from their town to Blackthorn City to see the IBF Tourney.

Fans were packed into the lobbies of each Dome since they couldn't get a seat, using the monitor in the large room to see the battles while those who couldn't get inside used the monitor outside of each building to watch.

Matt and Blake had met up in the waiting room that was crowded with trainers, using the tv monitor in the room to watch the opening ceremony.

"Are you ready Matt?" Blake asked, glancing at the boy who was actually quiet.

"I'm so excited, I can't wait." Matt began in a low voice.

"Don't worry, it's starting."

Down in the stadium, Matt and Blake could see a rather old man dressed in what looked like a brown robe, climb up onto the platform where a microphone was waiting for him. He cleared his throat several times, getting everyone's attention.

"Hello trainers and fans of Johto as well as the foreign trainers that have entered this tournament in this region, welcome to the beginning of the Inter-Regional Battle Federation Tourney!" The old man shouted, pointing up at the sky. "I'm the Battle Circuit and Johto/Kanto Pokemon Committee Commissioner and I'm happy to be hosting this tournament this year since it's such a privilege."

"Doesn't he host it every year?" The question caused many of the trainers that were in the stadium to snicker as the Commissioner continued his speech.

"This tournament has been divided into three rounds. The first will take place globally where trainers from each region with battle to reach into the Top 100 of each region. From there you'll have to travel to Hoenn where the Top 100 from each region will eliminate each other until we're down to the Top 16 of the IBF. Finally, the Top 16 will travel to Sinnoh where they'll fight for the right to be the number one contender for the IBF Title!" The crowd roared. "But for today, there will be hundreds of battles to determine the Top 100 that will represent us against the other regions."

"Joh-to! Joh-to! Joh-to!" The crowd chanted, rooting for their trainers to wipe out all the competition and take the IBF Title.

"So the first round. It will be a series of elimination battles in all three Domes we have for the next week. Trainers keep an eye on each monitor in the waiting rooms, because after you win one battle, you'll instantly be set up for your next." The Commissioner continued before pointing at the sky. "Good luck, and let the battles…begin!"

The crowd roared before the Commissioner jumped off the platform, making a mad dash for one of the exits since the field had began to shake. The moment the old man had gotten off the field, it split in two right down the middle, receding into the walls of the stadium while a new field rose up, this one possessing ten smaller fields that would be used to speed up the number of battles that could be held at once.

**7/10/0046/Night**

**East Dome**

Matt and Blake gave each other a high five at the close to the first day of the IBF Tourney, both of them managing to win the ten battles they had during the day. They hadn't received much attention from the crowd, but that was to be expected since they were both nobodies in this tournament when compared to the people they would be battling in the near future.

The duo entered the dressing, Blake walking quietly with his hands in his pockets while listening to Matt who was going over the highlights of his matches. Upon entering the waiting room, Blake was greet by a tight hug from his black haired sister.

"Grace?" Blake mumbled in confusion before remembering the girl was a SS-Class trainer, well known throughout Johto.

"Man Blake, you're so quiet yet everywhere we go we meet up with someone you know." Matt exclaimed after Grace separated from Blake who never returned the hug.

"Hey big bro, I won my ten matches, how'd it go for you?" She asked kindly.

"Easy wins." Blake replied in a deadpan, before the two of them turned to Matt.

"You have a sister?" He asked, looking for the similarities between the two, finding known at first glance.

"To be honest, I'm not sure-" Blake began before Grace cut him off.

"Yes, I'm Blake's beloved younger sister." Grace interjected, getting a few mumbles from Blake. "And who's your friend Blake?"

"Oh right…" Blake dragged Grace away from Matt by her forearm, telling Matt they'd be right back, Grace protesting rather loudly as she was pulled away.

"Why'd we leave him?" Grace asked curiously, trying to get another look at Matt, but Blake continued to block her to keep her focused.

"He's got Suicune's Crest." Blake replied, surprising Grace who instantly became serious, taking a moment to observe Matt.

"Are you sure?"

"We met back in Ecruteak, his right wrist lit up when I touched. The Crest looked exactly like the one back at the estate that was sketched for Suicune." Blake explained, getting a nod from Grace.

"Do you have any idea where he might have met Suicune?"

"He's not sure, at the beginning of his journey through Kanto he said he went west from Viridian City and that's when he met Suicune." Blake continued, getting a nod from Grace. "But there's a blank space he can't remember and then he woke on the shore to New Bark Town."

"Hmm…" Grace glanced at Matt. "Alright Blake, since we all entered the IBF Tourney, we'll stick together until we find Suicune with him."

"Okay." Blake responded, leading her over to Matt who was currently seated on one of the benches, chatting with one of the trainers he had just met.

**7/11/0046/Evening**

**East Dome**

Day in and day out, from morning till late at night, Blake, Matt and Grace would either be down in the stadium battling, or closely observing the other trainers to see if their was anyone note worthy besides themselves. Screaming fans went home pleased each day, taking time off from work and school to see the IBF Tourney. The entire region had come to halt for the entire week to see who made the Top 100.

Out of all the trainers Blake had seen among the Johto participants, three truly got his attention.

First and foremost was Matt who had utterly surprised him with the appearance of the rest of his team. With each battle Matt had, Blake watched as the boy released a variety of well trained Pokemon that he had been hiding from Blake during their training sessions at Lake Rage. His bizarre battling style was very effective against the more experienced opponents he was facing, using several tricks in one match after another to bring home another victory.

The second person Blake had marked was Grace, his own sister. She was obviously stronger than him considering her Battle Circuit ranking, but aside from that she also possessed a destructive team that specialized in grinding nearly any opponent to the ground. The girl proved to be skilled even though she was of the younger variety of contestants, but she definitely had the crowds support. Her style was incredibly flashy, something that bothered Blake considering how well she'd use it to her advantage to create distractions and such. Grace was a force to be reckoned with.

The last person he was focusing on was the Johto Circuit Title holder, Meegan J who, just as Grace predicted, entered the IBF Tourney seeking a battle to determine who was stronger. The young woman was dangerous. Her battling still was refined, precise and deadly, using Pokemon that corresponded with this style to result in a powerful combination. Just like Grace, she was a favorite to win in the Top 100 and everyone was sure she was going to win considering she was already known as one of the best in Johto.

Blake himself felt kind of nervous, watching all these trainers trample anyone they battled, which ignited something with in him. A feeling he hadn't felt since the Top 32 in the Rookie Kings Tournament.

He wanted to win at all costs.

* * *

><p><strong>Heh heh, finally...a part I've been dying post. Part 24. Where one of the key parts of the plot is finally revealed.<strong>

**Two concepts, Abyss Pokemon-basically the equivalent of a Shadow Pokemon for anyone who's played Pokemon XD : Gale of Darkness, only I added a little twist on it that you'll see later on.**

**Pokeosis - The idea came from a short passage I read about Pokerus. Professor Elm gave a rough explanation of it in this chapter but there's still more to it.**

**As for the reviews I've been getting (even though its only two people) Leonimi46 & Omega the Omniscient, you guys are making me work harder on this than I have in a while so kudos to you guys, thank you! Continue reviewing, cause you guys are giving me motivation as well as points and tips.**

**R & R**


	25. Complications

"Speech" - Regular Human speech

**"Speech" **- Legendary Pokemon telepathic communication (or location)

_"Speech" (Actions) - Flashback_

**Just to let ya'll know, this is by far the longest chapter I've written to date, so enjoy. You may read now! :)**

* * *

><p>Chapter 25<p>

**7/11/0046/Afternoon**

**West Dome**

"I made it…" Matt mumbled, slightly winded from the sprint he had just finished from the East Dome to the West Dome.

"Are you ready?" The ref called out to Matt who gave him a nod and thumbs up. "Alright then, Clash!"

Matt selected a Poke-ball as did his opponent who went by the name of Aiden, an A-Class trainer. Together the two of them tossed their Poke-balls onto the field, the two of them used the Hook as their choice throw for the Clash. The Poke-balls meet with a flash of light and sound of metal clanging, grabbing the attention of quite a few spectators.

The Pokemon were released, Matt's Hariyama appeared on the field along with Aiden's Quagsire, the two Pokemon sliding back on their feet. The two Pokemon grunted before looking at the other.

"Match begin!" The ref shouted, raising both flags.

"Quagsire, use Mud Bomb!" Aiden ordered as soon as the ref was finished speaking.

"Quag!" The blue Pokemon said out loud before opening its mouth, firing a ball of densely packed mud at Matt's Hariyama.

"Hariyama, knock it away with Force Palm and then attack!" Matt shouted, getting a nod from his Pokemon as both its large hands lit up in a yellow halo of light

The large fighting type Pokemon used its monstrous hand to knock away Quagsire's attack as if it were nothing before rushing at the Water type.

"Quagsire, dodge it!" Aiden commanded as Hariyama neared his partner, thrusting its glowing hand at it.

"Keep going Hariyama!" Matt shouted when Quagsire barely avoided their first attack.

"Hari!" It yelled, continuing its assault on Quagsire, the Water type Pokemon evading each attack with just enough time to think about where it could move to-to dodge the next one.

"Quagsire, look out!" Aiden shouted when Hariyama attacked with a feint which Quagsire fell for, the Water Pokemon jumping straight into the path of Hariyama's left hand which it balled up into a fist, hitting Quagsire with a solid left hook that sent in flying backward. "Quagsire, are you okay?"

"Quag." It replied, just back to its feet, returning Hariyama's stare.

"Alright then, use Rollout." Quagsire took a small leap into the air, curling up into a tight ball. As it touched the ground, the Water type Pokemon rushed forward, speeding toward Hariyama.

"Hariyama, use Bulk Up and then follow up with Force Palm!" Matt said quickly.

"Hari-yama!" The Fighting type Pokemon yelled as it tightened its stance, a small halo of white light forming around it. Hariyama remained still as Quagsire neared it before its right hand began to glow like it had before only the light was darker yellow.

Hariyama thrusted its arm forward, its large hand easily over powering Quagsire who was sent flying by the attack, landing on its back with a thud.

"Quagsire!" Aiden shouted, as the ref inspected his Quagsire.

"Quagsire is unable to battle, Matt is the winner." The ref said, raising the blue flag for Matt and Hariyama.

"We did it Hariyama!" Matt shouted his Pokemon who gave him a nod.

"Pupitar, use Dark Pulse!" A familiar voice shouted, getting Matt's attention.

On the opposite field to Matt's, he spotted Blake and his Pupitar battling a Girafarig that was already heavily damaged.

"Pupitar, use Dark Pulse." Blake ordered.

"Pupitar!" The floating rock type Pokemon said as it charged up a black sphere in front of it, the orb gaining a purple outline. The core of the attack began to spasm, just like how Blake wanted it to as Pupitar fired it at Girafarig.

"Girafarig, dodge it!" The psychic Pokemon attempted to move, but its knees buckled, halting any movement from it. The Dark Pulse hit Girafarig, exploding on impact which left it stunned.

"Pupitar, use Earth Power!" Blake ordered, his partner beginning to glow in a soft white light.

"Girafarig, move!" The psychic Pokemon's trainer shouted as it remained still. Pupitar, dropped itself to the field, creating a few cracks on impact, but beneath Girafarig, the ground became a dark yellow.

Girafarig was sent flying as the ground beneath erupted, releasing an dangerously how burst of energy. Giragarig was airborne for a few moments, then it crashed down on the field with a hard thud.

"Girafarig is unable to battle, Pupitar is the winner!" The ref shouted, raising the blue flag to declare Blake and Pupitar the winner.

"Tch, show off." Matt muttered, watching Blake approach his opponent, offering them a handshake. "Come on Hariyama, let's go."

**7/12/0046/Early Afternoon**

**Main Dome**

Meegan J stood in the stands by herself, watching Grace in yet another battle, using her Lucario. The fighting/steel type Pokemon was incredibly dangerous, matching Grace's style of battling with its high speed and powerful attacks.

Most of its opponents couldn't keep with its speed and were easily beaten like that, and even if they could keep up, Grace had trained her Lucario well in case it had to fight in a high speed duel.

The crowd shouted in approval as Lucario landed a Fire induced drop kick on the airborne Donphan, sending the Ground type Pokemon crashing to the ground, creating a small cloud of dust. The ref ran over to Donphan after Lucario landed on the ground, checking the Pokemon to see if it could continue.

"Donphan is unable to battle, Lucario is the winner." The ref said, raising the red flag to declare Grace the winner.

"Lucario, we did it!" Grace shouted to her Pokemon. The Aura Pokemon turned around, giving Grace a high five. "Come on, we have to see Meegan in her next match."

"Do you think you can beat her?" Blake asked after approaching the young woman from behind. Meegan jumped in surprise, glaring at the boy who just gave her a blank stare in response.

"What?" She asked after catching her breath.

"Do you think you can beat her?" Blake repeated for her.

"I'm not completely sure. The first time I had seen her about a year ago, I was surprised to see such a young trainer have such a powerful battling style and well trained Pokemon to boot." Meegan explained, glancing at Blake. "After that I hadn't seen here again until now, and I'm shocked. Not only did her Pokemon get stronger, but her style improved."

"So you believe that she's gotten stronger?" Blake asked, receiving a nod from her. "Do you think you have a chance of beating her now?"

"Against her original style, I could've won back then. But the holes I had seen a year ago have completely vanished." Meegan continued. "But I wasn't sitting around idly, I've gotten stronger too.

**East Dome**

Grace had found Blake waiting for her in the hallway leading into the East Dome where Meegan J's match was currently in progress.

The floor of the stadium was still divided, but now it was only split into five different fields to give each trainer more attention from the crowd.

"How's her match going?" Grace asked, joining Blake at the entrance to the stadium.

"She's dominating the battle. Her opponent hasn't even landed an attack on her Glacieon." Blake replied, folding his arms in front his chest.

"Glacieon, use Iron Tail!" Meegan shouted, pointing at the Machoke they were currently battling.

"Machoke, use Karate Chop!"

Glacieon jumped at Machoke, swinging its glowing tail at the Fighting type Pokemon who countered the attack with its left forearm. The damaged Machoke was knocked backward by Glacieon, sliding on its feet while the Ice type Pokemon landed on its hind legs, jumping at the off balance Machoke again.

Glacieon preformed a somersault, swing its tail down at Machoke's head.

"Choke." The Fighting type Pokemon exclaimed, barely managing to raise both its arms to block Glacieon's second attack.

"Now use Ice Beam!" Meegan commanded when Glacieon's tail forcefully pushed Machoke's arms down, leaving its head completely open.

"Machoke, look out!" It trainer shouted when she noticed Glacieon begin charge up a cyan colored sphere in front its mouth. Machoke was surprised when the airborne Glacieon placed both its forward legs on its torso, pushing it downward while firing the Ice Beam at point blank range at Machoke's head.

Machoke fell to its back with Glacieon on top of it, its head frozon in a block of ice.

"Machoke is unable to battle, Glacieon is the winner!" The ref shouted as Meegan ran onto to the field to congratulate her Glacieon.

Grace sighed inwardly, turning to head back toward the Main Dome.

"Do you think you can beat her?" Blake asked suddenly, causing Grace to halt her footsteps.

"Yes, I think I can beat her. She's gotten much stronger, but I still think I can beat her." Grace responded, gaining a smirk from Blake.

**7/17/0046/Afternoon**

**Main Dome**

"Alright Swampert, wrap this up with Brick Break!" Matt's order was easily heard by the silent stadium now that Matt was battling for the ninety-ninth spot in the Top 100. The field had returned to one large field that was standard sized for the Battle Circuit since today would be the last day for round one.

"Swampert!" The large dual type Pokemon shouted as it dashed in at Granbull, raising its forearm to land the finisher.

"Granbull, dodge it!" Its trainer shouted, motioning for the Pokemon to move, but Swampert was far faster than they expected, allowing it to slam its forearm into Granbull's torso which knocked it down to the ground.

"The winner is Matt and Swampert in the blue box!" The ref shouted after checking Granbull. Its eyes were replaced with black swirls.

The crowd roared at the end to another battle. Even though Matt was viewed as a foreign trainer, his weird battling style had won the crowd over, giving the young trainer a fan base in Johto.

"You can win the whole thing Matt!"

"Go straight to the top!"

"So Donny, what you think of this one?" A conversation was being held in the announcers box where two former trainers were providing commentary for the match. They were both active in the Battle Circuit years before and had retired after engraving their names on the World Stage.

"Well Jeff, I can definitely say this kid has some talent, a strong team to use his abilities as a trainer to the fullest and a style that brings out all his strengths. Something I feel is incredibly noteworthy is the acceleration his Swampert possesses. The speed it used to close in on Granbull and finish the battle is something that takes a lot of time to develop, so hats off to that kid."

"Do you think he has the potential to win this tournament?" Jeff asked, smiling at the camera.

"He has so much potential right now. He could definitely get far. Can he win it is a good question." Donny replied before narrowing his eyes as he stared at Jeff. "Will you quit staring at the camera."

"I can't help it; this year they put me on my good side." Jeff replied, giving the camera a wink which gained a groan from his partner. Donny then snapped his fingers several times at Jeff to get his attention.

"We have one more match to go." He said, pointing down at the field where the last two trainers were taking their places in their respective boxes.

"Alright Donny, what do we have a closer for today?"

"Well by the looks of it, we have a super rookie facing off with a veteran when you compare them." Donny began. "Celia, an S-Class trainer with quite a record in the Johto Circuit will be facing off against this young buck named Blake who had just become a Rookie King before the tourney was held."

"Ah, something like this happens every year, one weak trainer somehow makes it this far." Jeff replied, leaning down onto counter. "I can already tell who's going to win so I'll be right back."

Blake, who was standing in the blue box down in the stadium could here and see their conversation using the large monitor that was used for people who were two high up to see the battle properly. Blake clenched his fists, glaring up at the announcer's box where he could see Jeff walking out the side door.

"Jeff, you're supposed say here until all the matches are over." Donny called out to the man who standing outside the door.

"You can see it to; this kid has no chance of winning. Clearly he has to have some kind of talent to make this far, but he lacks experience. Without that, he has no chance of getting any farther."

"You never know what could happen."

"Alright, if the rookie wins again the girl, I'll…go to Hoenn in a damn tutu." Jeff declared, immediately getting a dark smile from Blake. With that Jeff disappeared into the stands in search of one of the sales persons.

"This one on one Pokemon battle will now commence." The ref shouted. "Trainers, Clash!"

Blake and Celia quickly made their choices before hurling the Poke-ball onto the field.

'Accel!' Ceclia shouted as her Poke-ball burst forward, racing across the field. ' Now we'll have the upper hand to start...'

Celia was shocked to see Blake's Poke-ball curve over her own, dropping down on it from above which sent it crashing into the field before their Pokemon were released. She couldn't help but curse under her breath as her Venomoth appeared on the field, possessing a few bruises. Blake's Gallade on the other hand, was in perfect condition.

"Gallade, use Psycho Cut!" Blake yelled, pointing at Celia's downed, bruise covered Venomoth.

Blake's airborne Gallade swung its right arm in a horizontal path, creating a ripple in the air that produced a pink, crescent shaped wave of energy that was fired at Venomoth.

"Venomoth, use Bug Buzz!" Celia shouted to her Venomoth. The large purple moth Pokemon frantically began to flap its wings, creating a yellow sound barrier around it that created a cloud of dust around it.

Gallade's Psycho Cut disappeared inside the cloud while the psychic Pokemon landed on the ground, waiting to see the result of the attack.

"Venomoth, use Poison Fang!"

Venomoth burst of out the cloud of dust, charging toward Gallade as a pair of dark purple fangs extended from its small mouth.

"Gallade, use Poison Jab to block the attack." Blake ordered quickly. Both of Gallade's hand became enveloped in a purple aura that used to hold back Venomoth with a double block. "Now give it a kick and attack with Psycho Cut again."

Gallade landed a swift kick to Venomoth which sent the Pokemon sailing backward while its left forearm became covered in a pink color light. The tall Psychic Pokemon swung its arm in vertical arc, firing another wave of Psychic energy at Venomoth who failed to dodged the attack.

The moth Pokemon was sent flying backward, coming to a skidding halt after it hit the ground from the super effective attack.

"Venomoth, are you okay?" Celia asked her partner, the moth Pokemon becoming air borne again.

"Venomoth!" It said quickly, proving it could be performing a quick loop in the air.

"Alright, use Signal Beam!"

"Gallade, use Night Slash to counter."

Both of Gallade's forearms and extended elbows became a sinister black as the Psychic Pokemon rushed toward the approaching beam of yellow light. Using both its forearms as a shield, Gallade deflected away the Signal Beam attack while continuing is advance.

'If experience is something they need to beat me, then I'll just use something they've never seen before.' Blake concluded as he raised on hand over his head. "Gallade, mix in a Psycho Cut and put a spin on it!"

Gallade took a small leap, is right arm becoming a bright pink. Gallade spun itself, extending both its arms outward which left a trail of black and pink light which was whipped up into a small black cyclone with several pink streaks.

"Look out Venomoth!" Celia cried out as the moth Pokemon disappeared into the cyclone. The crowd watched in awe as the sound of metal clanging was heard multiple times before the cyclone disappeared, revealing Gallade who was floating above a heavily damaged Venomoth.

"Now end it with a dual chop, Night Slash and Psycho Cut!" Blake ordered. Gallade followed through with Blake's orders, dropping down on Venomoth with both attacks while leaving a trail of black and pink light.

"Venomoth!" Celia shouted as Venomoth was smashed down onto the hard field with a flare of black and pink light, forcing the moth Pokemon about two feet into the ground. Once the light faded, the ref spotted Gallade standing over a spot in the ground, both its arms covered in some large bruises.

"Venomoth is unable to battle, Gallade and Blake are the winners!" The ref shouted after checking the hole where he found Venomoth's unconscious form.

The crowd roared as Blake approached Gallade, initially checking its arms that were bruised and battered from the combined use of Night Slash and Psycho Cut.

"It hurt to use them together didn't it?" Blake asked his Pokemon, receiving a nod as an answer. "Considering you did it on the spot without the Synchronism, this should be expected, but nice job Gallade."

"Hot damn! Not only did the rookie win, but he did it with style too!" Donny shouted as Jeff reentered the box, dropping the ham and cheese sandwich he had just gotten from the lunch room. "Hey Jeff, you know what this means!"

"Crap…" Jeff muttered in disbelief that the rookie had won in the short space of time he was gone.

"Alright folks, you saw the last match yourselves, the rookie Blake has seized the last spot for the Top 100 for Johto. Anyone in the Top 100, we'd like to inform you that as of today, you have two months to prepare yourself for the second round and to travel to Meteor Falls in the Hoenn Region. Go out there and kick some b-u-t-t for Johto!" Donny shouted as the crowded roared, watching Blake and Gallade retreat into the stadium hallways after shaking hands with Celia.

* * *

><p>"Nice job bro!" Grace shouted, pulling Blake down in a head lock which only received a blank stare from him.<p>

"Yeah, that move you did with Night Slash and Psycho Cut was pretty cool. How much did you and Gallade practice that?" Matt asked after Grace released her hold on Blake.

"That was first time we ever used it. I'm surprised with how well it worked out though." Blake explained, surprising Grace and Matt.

"That was your first time using that attack?" Grace asked for clarification, getting a nod from Blake. "Big bro is amazing!"

'I guess what Lola was telling me is true, he is some kind of genius to create such a combination on the spot.' Matt noted, watching Grace tackle his rival in a hug. "So when do we start moving?"

"Right, we have to get to Hoenn." Grace noted, remembering that only the first round was over and that she, Matt and Blake would be moving on to the second round along with Meegan J.

"Let's start moving now. We can use the Olivine City seaport for a ferry ride to the Hoenn." Blake suggested, getting a nod from Grace and Matt.

"Let's move!" Grace and Matt shouted together, Blake grumbling to himself now that he was stuck with two over zealous people.

**7/19/0046/Night**

**Hoenn Region**

**Lilycove City**

Lilycove City, the largest city of the Hoenn region that was composed of skyscrapers that filled up the business district of the city. The urbanized area spanned for nearly twelve miles, nothing but tall buildings, neon lights and advertisements in every direction you looked.

The city had been completely destroyed during the Dark Days, but was rebuild to be twice as large as it originally was. The city possessed none of its previous relics from the Old Days except for the hidden base that was build and used by Team Aqua during the Old Days. The gang of criminals had disbanded long ago, but the structures built by them were left intact during the time that followed.

The foot steps of a Pokemon moving on all fours could be heard in the night.

"Hurry up and find it, we can't let it get away!" A Team Rocket grunt shouted, pointing at the Pokemon that possessed a coat of white fur that shined in the moon light, a crescent shaped horn protruding from its head.

"Don't let that Absol get away. If the Red Orb leaves the city that'll be catastrophic to the Hoenn operation!" The Admin that was in charge of this sector shouted as the rounded the corner, once again spotting the Absol that held the Red Orb in is mouth running down an alleyway. "Get it!"

"Ab-sol!" The Dark type Pokemon turned around, the horn on its head glowing in the night. With a quick swing of its head, Absol's glowing horn produced a white, boomerang shaped blade of wind.

"Duck!" One of the grunts shouted as the squad dropped to the ground to avoid the Razor Wind attack.

"Go!" The Admin shouted as they all got back to their feet, prepare to continue their chase before they were forced to move back as several spheres of black energy hit the ground in front of them, exploding on impact.

"Look out!" Everyone scrambled out the alleyway, trying to avoid being hit by the Dark Pulse attack.

After a few moments, the Team Rocket grunts charged back into the alleyway again with the Admin leading once the small explosion came to a stop.

"Umm, we lost it sir." One of the grunts said to the Admin.

"I can see that." The Admin snarled at him. "Separate and find that Absol at all costs, change out of your uniforms if you can't find it by morning and keep searching through the day."

**7/24/0046/Noon**

**Kanto Region**

**Saffron City**

"Alright Raichu, follow up with Thunder Bolt!" Mari shouted to her newly evolved Electric Mouse Pokemon.

"Rai!" It cried before firing one condensed bolt of electricity at Mightyena who jumped to the right, narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Mightyena, finish this battle Shadow Ball!" Roy commanded, his partner roaring as a sphere of purple energy formed with in its mouth.

Mightyena fired the orb at Raichu who failed to dodge it, the ball exploding on impact which wiped out the last of Raichu's health.

"Good job, Mightyena." Roy said as he appoached his partner, scratching it behind its ear.

"That was a good battle. Your Mightyena was really strong!" Mari called out to Roy who thanked her as she returned her Raichu. "Are you from Hoenn? I heard that Mightyena's are native only to that region."

"No, I was born in Kanto, it was gift from my father while I was visiting him in Hoenn a few years back." Roy explained to her.

"Woah, you've been to Hoenn? So cool." Mari exclaimed, rushing over to Roy to begin questioning him. "What's it like there? Are the trainers strong? What kinds of Pokemon live there?"

"Wait, wait. One at a time." Roy said, silencing Mari. "Just one."

"Are the trainers in Hoenn strong?"

"Yeah, I'd say they're on par with Kanto, but none of them can compete with what Sinnoh has to offer still." Roy noted, looking up at the sky. "I had some good battles there before I came back for the IBF Tourney."

"Wow, you're in the IBF Tourney?" Mari exclaimed loudly, getting the attention of many bystanders.

"Yeah, I made it through the first round just last week in Kanto. Now I said I'd get in a little more training before heading to Hoenn." He explained.

"So cool." Mari said with stars in her eyes. "Do you think you can win?"

"Well even if I lose, I was going to head to Sinnoh to see the finals."

"Awesome!" Mari shouted, pumping her fist into the air. "Do you know how much a ticket to Sinnoh would cost?"

"A little over a thousand…I think."

"Aww, no way I can get that anytime soon."

"Do you need a ticket to Sinnoh?"

"Yeah, but it's rare I have any money on hand so buying a ticket isn't possible at the moment."

"What if I bought you one? For making it to the Top 100 in the first round, I was given the money to buy at least four boat tickets to invite people to come with me. I could buy you a ticket since that money won't be of any use to me." Roy offered, getting shocked expression from Mari.

"Really, you'd do that for me?" She exclaimed loudly as Roy shushed her again.

"Yeah. I don't have anything to use the money for."

"Awesome, but before I accept, I have to make a call."

**Saffron Poke-Center**

"Mom, guess what?" Mari asked enthusiastically, looking through the screen to see a picture of her mother on the other side, holding the receiver to her ear.

"What dear?" She asked curiously as to what had made her daughter so excited.

"I'm going to Sinnoh!" She shouted happily, getting a wide smile from her mother.

"Good for you sweetie, good luck."

"How's everything going in Cherrygrove City?" Mari asked, becoming serious, getting a smile from her mother.

"Great, we've already finished fixing the damage to the Pokemon Center, and started reconstructing the town hall. Thanks to the all the money that's been piling in from you and that boy, rebuilding the town is going along even faster than we planned on." Mari's mother explained happily.

"Awesome! But what boy?" Mari asked.

"We didn't see him, but a couple told the mayor that another trainer that was there during the attack offered to give his Battle Circuit winnings to Cherrygrove City as well. They said his name was Blake."

"Blake? No way!" Mari shouted. "He's been sending in his money to Cherrygrove City."

"Yup, he gives just as much money as you do." Mari's mother responded before a voice called out to her. "Oh, I'm sorry Mari but I have to go, good luck in Sinnoh."

"Bye mom!" Mari said, waving to her mother as she hung up the phone, ending the call. "So Blake's been sending money too…maybe he isn't that bad after all. Anyway, to Sinnoh!"

**Saffron City**

**Plaza**

"Oh, there he is!" Mari said, waving to Roy who was sprinting toward her, a worried expression on his face. "Roy!"

Instead of stopping, Roy grabbed Mari's wrist, tugging her alone with him.

"Roy, what's going on!" Mari asked, the young man pointing behind them while maintaining the fast running pace he had set.

Mari glanced over her shoulder, spotting several people in a uniform that was all too familiar to her.

'Team Rocket!' Mari exclaimed before looking back at Roy, keeping up with his pace. "Why are they chasing you?"

"If we can get somewhere safe I'll explain this to you."

* * *

><p>Roy and Mari leaned against the walls of one of the buildings for support, venturing further into the alleyway. The two of them were gasping for air since they had finally escaped the group of Team Rocket grunts that were chasing Roy.<p>

"Alright, so why are they chasing you?" Mari asked in between breaths of air.

"…Before my family moved to Hoenn, by father used to work at the abandoned Power Plant near Lavender Town." Roy began. "There was day he invited me to come to work with him, and that turned out to be the same day the Power Plant was attacked by that Bird Pokemon."

"Bird Pokemon?"

* * *

><p><em>Ten year old Roy Mekson followed his father through the large hallways of the Kanto Power Plant. After several months of begging, Roy had finally convinced his dad to take him to where he works.<em>

"_Alright Roy, lunch hour is about to begin. I'll be right back. I have to pick up some paperwork from my boss so stay right here." Roy's father said, pointing at the plastic stool that was resting next to a doorway._

"_Okay dad." Roy said, taking a seat on the stool while watching his father enter the doorway, leaving him outside._

_Roy looked around, bored since he had absolutely nothing to do at the moment._

'_Hmm?' He said, noticing a glowing yellow light at the end of the hallway. "What's that?"_

_Roy jumped down from the stool, running toward the light that faded as he neared the end of the corridor. As he rounded the corner, Roy spotted the light again. This time it was coming from the one of the corridors that broke off from the long hallway he had just turned onto._

_Roy quickly ran toward the light that faded away like it had before as he neared. Upon reaching the corridor, Roy peered into, finding nothing but bare walls and a dead end._

"_Huh?" He said in confusion, walking down the corridor while wondering where the light had disappeared to this time. As Roy neared the wall at the end of the hall, the floor beneath him creaked, gaining his attention. "What was th-!"_

_The floor crumbled beneath him, allowing Roy to drop some fifty feet before landing on a pile of debris that cushioned his fall to a certain extent._

"_Ouch." Roy muttered to himself as rose from the pile. "Why'd the floor collapse?"_

_Roy groaned, rubbing his side while looking around the dark room, the only source of light coming the opening in the floor above. As he scanned the room, a pair of eyes stood out in the darkness, causing Roy to jump._

"_**Drat, you've noticed my presence." **__A voice said, surprising Roy._

"_W-Who are you?" Roy called out, unsure of who he was talking to._

"_**I am Zapdos. And I know who you are Roy." **__The voice replied._

"_How do you know my name?"_

"_**Because the two of us are joined by fate. I was awakened from my slumber on the same day you were born." **__Zapdos went on._

"_Joined by fate?"_

"_**Yes, I have done my part, and now that the two of us have finally met, we must join our Crests."**_

"_Join our Crests. What does all this mean?" Roy asked, even more confused since he couldn't see who he was talking to._

"_**It will all be explained in due time Roy. But first, you must accept the Magnet."**_

_Roy's jaw dropped as a forty foot tall, bird with very pointy yellow and black feathers stepped into the light, its wings folded in front its body._

"_Whoa…" Roy exclaimed in a whisper, staring at Zapdos' true form._

_Zapdos spread its wings, revealing the same light Roy had been seeing in the hallways above. Within the light, Roy could see a gray U-shaped object floating in front of Zapdos._

"_What's that?" Roy asked._

"_**This is the Magnet Roy. Take it, and protect it."**_

_The Magnet flew forward toward Roy, crashing into his torso where it vanished into thin air as the boy was knocked clean off his feet._

"_Oww…what was that for?" Roy whined, clutching his chest as he sat up straight._

_Zapdos jumped onto the top of the pile of debris Roy was resting on, looming over the boy with its wings spread. As Roy observed the large bird, he noticed a glowing lightning bolt at the center of its chest._

_Roy felt a small spark on his left wrist, forcing him to glance at it where he spotted the same symbol on Zapdos' chest on his wrist._

"_**That is your Crest, and this one is mine. Join them."**_

"_H-How do I do that?" Roy asked, observing his glowing Crest._

"_**Place your left hand on my Crest."**_

_Zapdos leaned forward, lowering itself so that its Crest was with in Roy's reaching range. Roy nervously followed its instructions, placing his left hand on the lightning bolt which caused a vertical ray of yellow light to appear._

"_Wow!" Roy exclaimed, looking up at the light as it began to shrink in radius, closing up around his wrist. A jolt of pain shot through Roy's body as the light disappeared into his left wrist, the boy hollering in pain before dropping to the ground, unconscious._

* * *

><p>"After that I woke up in a hospital room with my mother beside me. She explained everything to me. That same Bird Pokemon named Zapdos I had seen rampaged through the Power Plant and destroyed it." Roy finished his story, turning to Mari who had been listening intently the entire time.<p>

"Whoa, that sounds just like what happened to me when I met this Pokemon named Entei." Mari noted, surprising Roy.

"Wait, this happened to you too?" Roy asked, getting a nod from the girl. "Does your wrist light up?"

"Yeah, whenever I want to it which is really weird. It doesn't do anything else but it's pretty helpful in the dark." Mari said, raising her hand.

The Crest on her left wrist lit up in the shape of what looked like a wild, roaring flame.

"No way." Roy said in a whisper. "You have one too."

"I have one what?" Mari asked, a confused expression on her face.

"A Crest." Roy exclaimed excitedly. "That means I can entrust you with the Magnet."

"What does that mean?"

"Here, just keep this and head to Sinnoh." Roy said, handing her the Magnet as well as a slip of paper that was her ferry ticket to Sinnoh.

"You seriously bought it for me? Thank you so much." She said, tackling the young man in a hug before promising to keep the Magnet safe.

"I'll to my best to make it through the second round of the IBF Tourney so that I can make to Sinnoh, but even if I lose, I'll see if I can find my way there to meet up with you." Roy continued as Mari took out her Pokedex.

"Here's my number, give me a call when you're coming to Sinnoh so that we can make a meeting spot." She said, getting a nod from him as he took out his Pokegear.

"Right." Roy said as they exchanged numbers. "The boat in Vermillion City leaves in four days. I highly doubt Team Rocket will try to hunt us down, but if they do, protect the Magnet at all costs."

"Okay, and thanks again Roy!" Mari said, waving to him one last time before exiting the alleyway they were hiding in.

'Good, at least Team Rocket doesn't know that the Magnet isn't with me anymore.' Roy said with a sigh. "Anyway, got to get to Meteor Falls so it's time to start moving."

Roy exited the alleyway cautiously, making sure there wasn't any Team Rocket grunts near by that would be able to spot him.

Up on top the roof of the two floor building Mari and Roy had previously been hiding next to was a Latios floating next to a cloaked figure.

"Sound like we made it just in time Latios. That tip from the grunts that the Magnet appeared in Celadon City got us here in time to find out they had been trying to trick us. But now its seems like joke is on them." Alan said with a smirk as he climbed onto the Eon Pokemon's back. "If she didn't open her Crest so foolishly, we wouldn't have found them in time, but I guess that's what happens when you don't know anything."

"**Will you shut up! You talk way too much." **Latios hissed at him while morphing into a Pidgeot.

"You're just jealous because no one else can here you speak." Alan said as they two of them took off into the skies.

**8/2/0046/Night**

**Lilycove City**

**Harbor**

"Did you bring along the Blue Orb this time?" The Team Rocket Admin asked, glancing at the grunt running along side him.

"Yup, just like you said." He replied, taking the spherical blue object out his pocket.

"Good, once we retrieve the Red Orb from the blasted Absol, report to ." The Admin explained.

"Yes sir."

The Absol that Team Rocket was currently in pursuit of dove into yet another alleyway in attempt to escape the grunts.

"Don't lose sight of it!" The Admin shouted.

* * *

><p>"Alright, we made it!" Matt shouted, pumping his fist into the air as the threesome strolled through the harbor of the large city in search of cheap hotel.<p>

"Matt, be quiet. It's late." Blake whispered harshly at the boy with a glare since he wanted to get some sleep.

"Hey, what's all the commotion about?" Grace asked, pointing toward a crowd of people dressed in black chasing a four legged white Pokemon.

"Wait, I know those uniforms. It's Team Rocket!" Matt exclaimed as the Absol raced toward them, expertly finding its way through the trio without dropping its speed while the squad of Team Rocket grunts crashed into Blake, Grace and Matt.

The grunt that was in possession of the Blue Orb lost his grip on it as he ran into Grace, the round object flying upward. Within moments, group of Team Rocket grunts were on the ground in a confused scuffle with Blake, Grace and Matt.

"Oww, what you guys doing?" Grace shouted at them before the Blue Orb landed on her head, bouncing off it while leaving a bump. Grace's complaints continued as she rubbed the top of her head before she realized what had hit her. "No way, the Blue Orb."

Grace quickly snatched the sphere from the ground, observing it closely while one of the Team Rocket grunts grabbed her by her ankles.

"Hey, give that back!" The grunt shouted only to find Grace's other foot smashed down onto his face, forcing him to release his hold on her.

"Get the Blue Orb!" The Admin shouted as he grabbed both of Grace's ankles this time, the two other grunts rising to their feet so that they could jump on the girl.

"Ludicolo!" Matt shouted, releasing his partner Pokemon. "Use Hydro Pump on Team Rocket!"

"Ludi-colo!" The Water/Grass type Pokemon yelled as it fired a cannon of pressurized water at the Team Rocket grunts that were trying to pin down Grace. Two of them were blasted away by the water, leaving on the Admin that had been holding her ankles and the grunt Grace had kicked was now standing again, holding a Poke-ball.

"Ryuu, let's go-" Blake began.

"Blake, take this and run. Follow that Absol!" Grace interjected, preventing Blake from entering the battle while tossing the Blue Orb to him.

"But I have to help out here." Blake said, barely managing to catch the Blue Orb.

"You'll be helping out a lot more if you take the Blue Orb and follow that Absol. Wherever it goes, follow it!" Grace shouted, pointing in the direction they had seen Absol running in.

Blake nodded reluctantly, turning away from the battle to follow the orders he had received from Grace.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 25. Alan makes yet another appearance, learning the Magnet's true location and where its headed. Our IBF gang lands in Hoenn after making it through the first round, already running into trouble on their first night in a new region. And a mysterious Absol makes two appearance, am I implying anything?<strong>

**And sorry for anyone who was looking for a high level skill battle for the IBF Tourney, but what I put in was just for the first round. I can't guarantee anyone super awesome battles until the third round, but the second round does will have a lot going on to, way more the first round.**

**Read, Review and Enjoy.**


	26. Secrets in Mt Pyre

Chapter 26

"Weezing, come on out." Two of the Team Rocket grunts shouted as they released their Pokemon to battle Matt and Grace who were now blocking their path to follow Blake and Absol.

"Arbok, go!" The last grunt shouted, allowing the large Snake Pokemon to enter the battle.

"Electivire, use Fire Punch on Arbok!" Grace shouted.

"Weezing, cut of the Electivire with Sludge Bomb."

"Ludicolo, get that Weezing with Ice Beam." Matt ordered. "Swampert, use Water Pulse on the Sludge Bomb!"

As Electivire raced toward Arbok, the first Weezing cut off its path, ejecting a purple ball of sludge at the Electric type Pokemon, but before it hit, it was knocked away by a sphere of water. Following the Water Pulse attack was three beams of cyan colored lights that rushed toward Weezing, freezing it in a block of ice that effectively cleared Electivire's path to Arbok.

"Arbok, use Crunch!"

The Snake Pokemon hissed before it launched itself at the approaching Electivire, opening up its maw. Just before it could bite down on Electivire's head, the Electric type Pokemon ducked beneath it before firing a wide uppercut at Arbok's body, sending it flying into the air.

"Swampert , get Arbok with Water Pulse!" Matt commanded, pointing at Arbok.

"Swamp!" It shouted, firing another condensed sphere of water at the airborne Snake Pokemon.

"Arbok, move!" The grunt shouted at his Pokemon that obviously couldn't move while it was in midair.

"Weezing, intercept the Water Pulse with Sludge Bomb!" The grunt using the second Weezing yelled.

"Weez!" It said, firing the orb of sludge upward so that it cut off Swampert's Water Pulse, giving Arbok a clear path toward Electivire.

"Arbok, use Wrap."

"Bok!" The Snake Pokemon hissed as it landed on Electivire, wrapping itself around the Electric type Pokemon so that it could begin to squeeze it.

"Electivire, use Thunder Wave." Grace shouted. "Then follow up with Thunder Bolt!"

"Swampert, use Water Pulse on Weezing. Ludicolo, assist with Ice Beam." Matt ordered with grin, wishing Blake was here to see a sudden idea he had.

The Arbok that had coiled itself around Electivire was stunned from sudden burst of electricity, allowing Electivire to get some breathing space before unleashing a wicked Thunder Bolt on Arbok. The Snake Pokemon dropped to the ground, blackened with its eyes replaced with black swirls.

Swampert fired another sphere of water at the remaining Weezing, Ludicolo launching an Ice Beam right after the attack that caught up with the attack, freezing it. The water expanded as it froze, a sphere of ice matching the size of a car door as it crashed into Weezing, knocking it out with one hit.

"We did it!" Matt shouted, joining his two Pokemon in their victory dance, or just Ludicolo really while Swampert causally watched from a distance, hoping Matt wouldn't pull it into the dance.

"Wait, wasn't their four of them?" Grace asked, ending Matt and Ludicolo's dance.

"Oh yeah, there was four." Matt exclaimed, as the grunts began to retreat after returning their Pokemon.

"I know it sounds ridiculous, but now some bratty teenagers have the Blue Orb and the Absol still has the Red Orb." The Admin said into a small communicator, watching Grace and Matt from an alleyway.

"Can you tell me what the kid with the Blue Orb looks like?" The voice at the other end of the communicator asked.

"Yeah, he's kind of tall, messy black hair, tan skin. He was in some black pants and a uh…black and silver jacket." The Admin explained.

"That'll due, anything else I should know?"

"One of them told the kid with the Blue Orb to after the Absol."

"Hmm…this could work out well actually. If he meets the Absol and they become allies, it will surely lead him to Mt Pyre. Just keep track of him and tell me if he begins traveling to Mt Pyre. I'll be waiting there, and I'll take back both Orbs."

"Good thinking sir." The Admin said.

"Get to work." The other voice said in a deadpan.

* * *

><p>"Poliwrath, finish with Brick Break!" Blake shouted, pointing at the Absol they had been battling for a little while.<p>

It was obvious to the both Blake and Poliwrath that Absol had been hurt already, but when Blake tried to reason with the Pokemon, it was nothing but aggressive which forced Blake to engage it in battle.

Poliwrath dropped its right forearm down Absol's torso, forcing it to the ground with a loud thud. The Red Orb came flying out of Absol's mouth which was the only way the Pokemon could carry the orb, allowing Blake to quickly collect it from the ground while tossing a Poke-ball at the downed Absol.

Even though it fought its hardest not to be captured, it disappeared into the Poke-ball which produced a low hum right after it closed, telling Blake the capture was a success.

Blake looked at each of the Orbs along with Poliwrath, wondering what was so special about each of them before yawning, remembering that he was still looking for a place ti sleep, but as far as he was concerned, he could sleep in the alleyway.

'No…still have to check on the Absol." Blake said, picking up the Poke-ball from the ground to release the Disaster Pokemon.

As it was released from its Poke-ball, Absol pounced at Blake, knocking him to the ground while it landed on top of his torso, snarling at him. For a moment Blake was surprised as it continued bark and snarl at him, but then his usual exterior set in as he returned the glare it was giving him.

Blake lifted his right hand, palming the side of its neck, pushing as hard as he could to reverse their positions. Holding it down with both hands by the neck, the teenage boy managing to keep Absol down as it continued thrash about wildly, Poliwrath looming over them incase something went wrong.

"I'm not your enemy." Blake said, clapping his hand over its mouth to silence the Disaster Pokemon. The thrashing came to stop as Blake took out both Orbs, holding them in one hand while holding Absol down with hand. "You want both right? Well whatever it is I'm supposed to help you with, I have to follow you, and that means you have to trust me."

After a few seconds of silence, Absol licked Blake's palm to make him let go its mouth.

"Aww, hand licker. Just like Pupitar…when it had a mouth." Blake muttered, glaring at Absol.

"Sol." It said in its usual deep voice as Blake set down both Orbs beside it, getting off of the Disaster Pokemon.

"Friends?" Blake said as it got back on its feet, offering it his hand.

"Ab-sol." It said, placing on its paws in Blake's hands as they shook on.

"Good, tomorrow we'll get started." Blake said, trying to figure out where he could find a place to sleep at this time of the night.

"Absol." It said, picking up the Red Orb in its mouth, heading for the end of the alleyway.

"No, I said tomorrow." Blake said, raising Absol's Poke-ball to return, leaving the Red Orb to drop to the ground. Blake ground inwardly before turning to Poliwrath who was currently observing the Blue Orb. "Come on Poliwrath."

Absol's Poke-ball opened up without Blake's command, releasing the Disaster Pokemon who glared at Blake before picking up the Red Orb again.

"What the…return." Blake said, returning Absol a second time, but immediately after it was returned, it was released from its Poke-ball again without Blake's command. "Grr…"

"Sol." It said with smirk.

"Alright then, if you think you're so clever…Poliwrath, return." Blake said, returning the Water type Pokemon followed by Absol.

Using the short time space he had, Blake collected both the Blue and Red Orbs from the ground before Absol burst out of its Poke-ball again. Blake smirked at the Pokemon, holding both Orbs, taunting it a bit before taking off in a sprint with Absol in pursuit.

**Lilycove Pokemon Center**

Blake burst through the front doors, surprising Nurse Joy who was seated behind her desk on night duty. As he got through the doors, Blake closed them as quickly as he could, using his body to keep them closed as something hit the doors from the outside.

"Nurse Joy, can you help me with something?" Blake asked the woman who approached him nervously, glancing out the door to see an angry Absol outside the door, glaring at Blake.

"Pokemon troubles?" She asked with an all knowing smile.

"Not exactly troubles, I captured it, but it won't stay in its Poke-ball. Is their some kind of lock I can put on it?" Blake explained, getting an understanding nod from the woman.

"Yes, I just received a shipment of Poke-ball Locks from Johto after something that happened in Olivine City." Nurse Joy explained as Absol rammed itself against the doors, Blake managing to hold it back.

"Olivine City? I just passed through there, what happened?" Blake asked as Nurse Joy quickly strolled over to her desk, beginning to search it.

"A pair of Wartortle's that were part of the Fire department suddenly attacked the firemen one night about a month ago during a fire. A first they stayed in their Poke-balls, but they broke free later on." Nurse Joy went on. "After that the Committee made sure that every Pokemon Center had a supply of Locks. That situation would've been a lot worse if Professor Elm didn't show up. Ah, here they are."

As Nurse Joy came out from behind her desk, Absol hit the door again, this time forcing Blake away while entering the Pokemon Center. Absol growled at Blake who was on his bottom, glaring at Absol while Nurse Joy had taken cover behind her desk.

"Pass me the lock, this might get ugly." Blake said to her, getting a nod from the woman who tossed him the black, metal object.

"Just attach it to the top part of the Poke-ball and it should work." She explained as Absol gave Blake a questioning glare before barking at him.

Blake unclipped Absol's Poke-ball from his belt, placing the Lock on the red half of the Poke-ball, hearing a small click as it set into place, looking like nothing but a black strip had been added to the top of the Poke-ball.

"Absol, return." Blake said pointing the Poke-ball at Absol, firing the red beam of light at the Disaster Pokemon who had jumped at Blake. Absol disappeared into its Poke-ball with a howl.

Blake waited a moment before sighing in relief since Absol was officially captured.

"Thanks Nurse Joy." He said, placing Absol's Poke-ball back on his belt. "Can I get a room for the night?"

"Sure."

**8/3/0046/Morning**

**Lilycove City**

**West Exit**

Blake looked around the semi-crowded streets of Lilycove City, in search of Grace or Matt as he followed Absol who was currently leading him out of Lilycove City.

After he woke up that morning, Blake checked out of the Pokemon Center and released Absol from its Poke-ball so that they could begin their search since it refused to stay in the city any longer for Blake to find Matt and Grace.

"Sol!" It said, quickening its pace as it headed toward the road leading out of the city, grassy plains on both sides of the road.

Blale muttered something under his breath before catching up with the Disaster Pokemon.

"Where are we headed?" Blake asked, looking down at Absol who was sniffing the air as it trotted along the path.

"Ab-sol." It replied, pointing towards a mountain in the distance that was at the center of a huge waterway with its horn.

"That?" Blake said, getting a nod from Absol. Blake removed his Pokedex from his pocket, opening the device's map function. "Hmm…Mt Pyre. I don't see what's so special about it."

Blake took a moment to observe the mountain after pocketing his Pokedex, staring intently at it. Even though he was great distance from it, it was like Blake's vision zoomed in on the mountain, specifically the peak where he could see several jagged rocks around the perimeter of the peak, preventing anyone from seeing what was in the center.

'Hmm?' Blake exclaimed mentally as everything in his field of vision became a bright yellow, everything but Mt Pyre. The tall mountain was colored in three different colors, red to the left side of the mountain, blue to the right, but underneath the mountain was dark green that transitioned to black as he looked further beneath the mountain.

"Absol!" The Disaster Pokemon called out, far ahead of Blake on the road. The boy blinked multiple times, his eyesight returning to normal, but that was went Blake noticed his right wrist glowing.

'Oh great.' He said sarcastically, rolling up his sleeve to look down at the new shape of his Crest. 'Every time this thing lights up it means trouble.'

His Crest still had the pentagonal shape with three of the triangles filled in, but now there were three gray lines branching downward from the pentagon, wildly spreading out around his forearm. Blake rolled up his sleeve, noticing that the lines continued past his elbow and up his bicep. Pulling on the neck of his shirt, Blake observed his shoulder, finding the lines still continuing up his neck and out onto his chest.

Hastily he pulled out his Pokedex, opening it while leaving it off so that he could see his reflection on the black screen.

"Whoa…" Blake exclaimed out loud, watching the three gray lines branch out from his neck, covering the right side of his face. "This is crazy."

"Those are some crazy tattoos man." The voice of a passing traveler exclaimed.

Blake looked up at him as he walked by, the young man waving at him. Blake gave him a glare in return, but the young man was already on his way, unaffected by Blake's glare.

"Sol." Absol said to Blake, getting his attention. The Disaster Pokemon pointed toward Mt Pyre with its horn again.

"Oh…right. Let's focus on traveling." Blake said, taking one last look at how bizarre his Crest was acting, although he had to admit, it did look pretty cool.

**8/3/0046/Night**

**Route 122**

Blake sat of Poliwrath's back, the Water type Pokemon performing a forward stroke as it swam towards the shoreline that led to the entrance of Mt Pyre. His "tattoos" were still in affect, but Blake had already gotten used to it considering how many trainers had seen him like that as he passed through a clearing around lunch time.

"Blake, where are you headed?" Grace asked through his Pokedex.

"Mt Pyre. It's where the Absol led me." Blake replied, looking down at the Poke-ball that held the Disaster Pokemon. "Where are you guys?"

"In Lilycove City. We just spent the day searching for you and then Matt remembered he had your number." Grace explained. "What should we do?"

"It took me an entire day to get here. I could wait for you guys, but Absol seems to be in a hurry and I doubt it'll wait an entire day for you guys to catch up."

"Alright, continue into Mt Pyre, we'll skip sleeping tonight and see if we can be there by morning." Grace said.

"Okay." Blake said simply before hanging up.

"Poli!" The Water Pokemon said as it reached the shore, allowing to Blake to jump off onto the beach.

"Thanks Poliwrath, return." Blake said, returning it to its Poke-ball.

* * *

><p>"Is that him?" A rather old voice asked, motioning toward Blake and Absol who were currently walking to the entrance of Mt Pyre with a lack of caution.<p>

"Yeah, that's him." The Team Rocket Admin from Lilycove City said, nodding to the old man.

"Good, then get ready, once he makes it to the center of the ground floor, the Red and Blue Orb will open the pathway to the Jade Orb. We'll have one shot to get in there with him, if we miss it, our entire operation will fail."

**Mt Pyre**

**Ground Floor**

"What is this place?" Blake asked as he looked around at the old, uncared for walls of the rooms that possessed numerous cobwebs and cracks. "It's practically a graveyard in here."

"Sol…" Absol added.

And it was, grave stones created pathways for him to follow, the room barely lit by old light bulbs and it was incredibly dusty, but Blake was unaffected by that. As Blake made a left into a long corridor, he spotted a clearing where the gravestone pathway ended, but then his vision blurred.

'Ugh, not again.' Blake exclaimed as he leaned against the wall for support, holding his head. His usual eyesight became yellow like it had earlier in the day, but now the division of the three colors on Mt Pyre were surrounding him.

Red was behind him, blue was in front him, and green was below him, a bright spot of green at the center of the clearing. The Red and Blue Orb forced their way out of Blake's pockets, floating in the air before they flew to the center of the clearing in a figure eight pattern.

The two Orbs crashed together over the bright green spot, disappearing in a flash of light. Following the flash was two different roars the shook the entire mountain. The rumbling continued for several moments until Blake heard the sound of rushing water behind him.

"What the hell is this!" Blake shouted out loud as he saw torrent of water burst into the area he had just left, filling the up the room fast while heading toward the corridor he and Absol was located in.

Absol and Blake took off in a sprint down the hallway, but both of them came to a skidding halt when they saw boiling lava burst into the hallway from the other end.

"Oh, crap!" Blake exclaimed, glaring at the volcanic liquid as it approaching him and then at the water behind, unsure of which death seemed worse. Drowning in rushing water, or burning in lava. "Absol return!"

Blake returned his newly captured friend into the safety of its Poke-ball, looking forward to the lava that was rushing toward him.

Just when it all seemed like it was over, a pair of hands was placed on his shoulder's, pushing him forward toward the lava, but then everything faded to black.

**Lilycove City**

Matt had his hand clasped over his blackened left eye, curtsey of Grace who was incredibly aggravated when he remembered that he had Blake's number after a full day of searching the city.

Now the two of them were currently heading out of Lilycove City, the hustle and bustle of the city behind them as they used same road Blake had used to begin traveling toward Mt Pyre.

"So where is he right now Grace?" Matt asked.

"That Absol is leading him to the Jade Orb." Grace said.

"The Jade Orb?"

"Yeah, Mt Pyre is the location of the Jade Orb. But to get to the Jade Orb, you need the both the Blue and Red Orbs." Grace explained.

"What happens when you have all three Orbs?"

"I'm not sure. I didn't have the time to look at the documents on the Hoenn Legacy while I was still in Ecruteak City so I don't know what happens when the three Orbs come together." Grace replied.

"Wait, so what's the Hoenn Legacy?"

"It's the recorded history of the Hoenn region from before the Dark Days. I've only read a little bit, but during the time before the Dark Days, there was cataclysmic event in Hoenn that put the entire region in danger."

"What could put and entire region in danger?"

"Legendary Pokemon."

"Legendary Pokemon! Why would Arceus do anything to Hoenn?"

"Not Arceus, three different Legendary Pokemon."

"Wait, there's more than one Legendary Pokemon?"

"Yeah, each region has a certain number of Legendary Pokemon, didn't you know that?"

"No…but now that you mention, my Pokedex has more than one area that's blank. And its not just a spot for Arceus's data, is a bunch of places." Matt said, realizing that if he had paid more attention, he would've realized there was more than one Legendary Pokemon a long time ago. "So what stopped the Legendary Pokemon destroying the region?"

"There are several theories about what stopped them, but what I read doesn't cover what ended the event, so I'm clueless too."

"Well let's get to Mt Pyre and find Blake, then we can check out the Hoenn Legacy!" Matt said as the two of them quickened their pace.

"Right!"

**Vermilion City**

**Pokemon Center**

"Lana, I take it you sense it to?" Nozomi asked through the video phone.

"All the Crests in both Johto and Kanto besides myself have left, right?" Lana asked in return, getting a nod from Nozomi.

"Yes. And now we've confirmed something. The beginning of the Storm will not be taking place in Johto or Kanto." Nozomi said, receiving a nod from Lana.

"I thought so. The remaining two that I sensed in Kanto have left as well." Lana explained.

"That should be expected. If the beginning of the Storm isn't taking place here, the Crests will gather to where it will begin."

"Hmm...Well Grace went to Hoenn with Blake for the IBF Tourney so I'll head to Sinnoh and continue my search there." Lana said.

"Good, we'll remaining in Johto and prepare for the Storm." Nozomi said before two voice could be heard in the background.

"Is that Lana?" Lana could hear Miyu's voice over everyone else's. "Tell her I said hi!"

Nozomi covered the bottom half of the phone with her hand before shouting at the other girls. Lana giggled at the usual exchange of words between the five sisters before Nozomi was rudely pushed out of the way by Miyu and Rei. Rei had snatched the phone from Nozomi while Miyu pressed her ace against the screen, waving to Lana excited with her Jolteon resting on her head.

'Oh boy.' Lana said, trying to point out the angry Nozomi that had risen up from the ground behind Miyu and Rei who were shouting their hello's to Lana. Before either could turn around to see Nozomi, the oldest sister of the Kimono Girls grabbed the two of them by their heads and bumped them together before dropping the two girls to the floor. With that, Nozomi gave Lana a small smile and a wave and then she ended the call.

Lana laughed quietly, placing the phone on the receiver. 'Boy, even with the Storm approaching they never change. Anyway, to the Sinnoh region.'

**Slateport City**

**Hotel**

The cries of a small child no older than a year had awakened his care takers who were now looking down at the crib of the crying child.

"Hush little Toby." A female brunette said, as she scooped him out the crib, gently rocking him back and forth to try and put him to sleep again.

The crying baby continued to cry, refusing food and it didn't need to be changed so neither of them could understand why Toby was crying.

"Wait Jim, his forehead." The female said, turning to her blonde haired husband with Toby in her arms.

"You know that what this means Marilyn." Her husband said, walking over to the window where he lowered the blinds.

"Yes, that man will surely find us again. We should start packing our belongings." Marilyn said.

"No, not this time. He caught us this time. Both the ferry's to Dewford Town and Sootopolis City have left and I'm one hundred percent sure he's coming from Mauville City since we left him there." Jim replied darkly.

"What are we going to do?"

"If he doesn't show up by midnight tomorrow, we'll have a shot at getting to Dewford Town, but if he catches us tomorrow, we'll have to fight him."

"Should we tell Arika?"

"Yes, we've given her the best training we can, hopefully she can assist us if we do have to fight him."

"Alright." Marilyn said quietly, placing Toby back in his crib now that he was sleeping again, taking one last look at the baby's forehead and stomach, each of those areas possessing a glowing mark.

On Toby's forehead was a bright yellow, five point star. The Crest of Jirachi. But on the baby's stomach, there was an outline of an eye in yellow and it possessed a green pupil, something the care takers of Toby had never seen on the baby before.

* * *

><p>"Whoa, what a bad headache." Was the first thing that came out of Blake's mouth as he held his head. It was then he looked up, observing his new surroundings. "What the, where am I?"<p>

Blake looked around at the area that matched a space like scenery. Beautiful nebulas, stars of varying colors filling the black background, spiral galaxies and visible constellations. Blake flapped his arms, moving upward from the movement as if he were a bird.

"This is pretty cool." He noted, taking a look around before something caught his attention. A shooting star, or a comet. Whatever it was, it was leaving behind a long tail of star dust that looked magnificent with the black background behind it, the tail shining brightly. "Sheesh, aren't these things ever going to disappear?"

Blake was focusing on his Crest now that was still spread wildly around his right arm, face and upper torso. It was glowing even brighter now than it ever had before, and it was becoming incredibly irritating to the teenage boy.

"I would've never guessed the King would deliver the Red and Blue Orbs to me." An old voice said from behind Blake, causing him to turn around in an instant where he found an older man with a bushy white beard wearing a brown cloak.

His hair was long and completely white, falling to his mid back, unruly and uncared for. He was barely 5'3 and obviously above the age of sixty.

"Who're you?" Blake asked in a deadpan since the man had called him 'King', and whenever someone called him that, trouble was sure to follow.

"Well since we're destined to be enemies, I suppose I should share my identity." The old man said. "Just remember me as Titus."

"Titus…tell me what you know about this." Blake demanded, rolling up his right sleeve to point at his Crest.

"That? I'll tell you this Blake-kun, _that_, makes you very special." Titus said with a smile before he burst forward, both his has gaining a dark purple glow. Before Blake could attempt moving, Titus was in front of him, thrusting both his hands at Blake's chest.

Blake gasped as he was hit, three bolts of purple electricity bursting out his back with a circular pulse. He gasped for air before he was shot backward from the blow, his surroundings changing again. He could see the night time sky once again, and a pedestal that he was flying away from with Red and Blue Orbs floating above it along with a third one. A green one that Blake could tell was Jade Orb.

Blake tried to speak, but his speech was slurred as he began to decent, noticing the tall tower he was falling next to. On top of the tower, Titus looked over the edge where he saw Blake hit the water with large splash, the current carrying him away.

"I was expecting a bit more, but you'd better thank me for not killing you." Titus said, waving to Blake's unconscious form that disappeared into the ragging rapids of water that surrounded the small island he was previously located on. "Hmm…the top of Sky Pillar, what a fitting place to receive the Jade Orb, and push the King off of."

Titus turned around, facing the pedestal where the Orbs were floating. The old man quietly walked over to the floating Orbs, taking one which closed the portal from Mt Pyre.

"Excellent, now I'm properly prepared for the Storm." Titus said, observing all three orbs while his right wrist lit up, revealing a design that was different to the usual Crests. This one was purple, and it consisted for four circles that were connected by four lines that were slightly indented toward the center of it.

**8/4/0046/Morning**

**Pacifidlog Town**

The incredibly small town made up just a little more thirty people were crowded on the wooden planks that connected their floating town, trying to a get a look at the first person that had passed through the two in centuries. Although this person wasn't exactly passing through, they were unconscious and drifting in the water.

It was a boy, about sixteen years old, damp black hair, tan skin, soaking wet cloths. All of the people stood their staring at Blake who had been brought to the town on a mysterious blue creature that tossed him onto one of the wooden planks. It then gave a cry of 'Wailmer!' before it dove back into the water, leaving the people of Pacifidlog Town stupefied since they had never seen or heard of a creature like that. Finally, the town elder told the men to pick him up and bring him to his house.

Once Blake was out of the water in the elder's house, everyone was crowded around the old man's house looking through the windows to see when Blake would wake up. It would be about an hour before he woke up, but when he did, everyone's whispers came to a stop so that they could hear the elder and Blake speak through the walls of his house.

"Wh…Where am I?" Blake asked groggily as he rose up from the cot he had been sleeping on.

"Pacifidlog Town." The elder replied, assisting Blake in sitting up as he held his head.

"Pacifidlog Town?" Blake repeated since he had never heard of this town before.

"Yes." The elder went on.

"I'm not from Hoenn, but I've never heard of this town." Blake said.

"Never heard of it, why, back in the day, tourists would stop here all the time on their way to way to Evergrande City. People would use this sea Route to go there and see the Elite Four in action." The elder said, striking a pose while getting a confused look from Blake.

"Elite Four…" Blake remembered reading that somewhere in a book. In the time before the Dark Days, trainers would challenger a group of four people that were strongest in each region to prove their strength and get listed in the Hall of Fame. "Haven't you heard about the Battle Circuit?"

"Battle Circuit. I've never heard of it." The elder responded after taking a moment to think about it.

'No way, they couldn't possibly have been this isolated from the rest of the world…' Blake exclaimed mentally. "What about the Pokemon Committee?"

"Pokemon Committee, what's that?" The elder asked.

'This is so weird. I've never met anyone who hasn't heard of the Committee or the Battle Circuit. They must've missed this tiny sea town somehow…Let me test something.' Blake said inwardly before looking up at the elder. "When was the last time someone visited here?"

"Quite a while ago. At least a few centuries. Or at least that's what my father told me." The elder replied. "When I was just a boy there was time when the seas were rough, but in my entire lifetime I haven't seen someone come to our town. You're the first."

"Hmm, and who was the last person to visit?"

"Umm…let's see." The elder rose from his wooden chair and walked over to the bookshelf behind him, pulling out a small book. After at least a minute of page turning, the elder placed his finger on a page. "It was girl, we didn't get her name, but she wore a bandana and had brown hair. She was asking about the three Golem's Regice, Registeel and Regirock. One of my ancestors shared the information about the tomb to her. She thanked him and went on her way."

'This just keeps getting stranger. Yumi said that no one in this generation should know about any other Legendary Pokemon besides Arceus. Who is this guy?' Blake said, staring blankly at the man. "Is that like a log?"

"Oh, yes. All my ancestors recorded data in it since the founding of this town." The elder replied with a smile.

"Can I see it?" Blake asked, getting a nod from the elder who passed him the small book.

"Unfortunately, no one dated each entry, but each name is the name of the current elder who's writing each log. Each of them lived to be about a hundred years old so when the name changes, it's safe to assume about a century passed." The elder explained, receiving a thanks from Blake who opened to the first page.

_Arthur Algura – Well I don't know how we managed to do it, but we've created a town that's surviving on its own out in the waters of Hoenn. Right now we're a town of less then ten people, but we have more than enough food, everyone loves the fish we can eat in this area, not to mention the seaweed allows us to make good medicine to keep everyone healthy._

_Arthur Algura – A trainers passed through our town from Slateport City, they said they were going to challenge the Elite Four. He showed us all the Pokemon he had and it was quite and impressive team._

_Gerald Algura – The visits of trainers to our fare town have become frequent. It's a treat really. Because of our location, only highly skilled trainers could reach our town, so whenever someone visits, we receive a great show._

_Gerald Algura – I've grown old now, and the visits of trainers have become less, but something strange is going on. A gray haired trainer appeared on day, and then a few days later the skies became stormy and a downpour began. Then the skies cleared, and sun became incredibly hot. It continued to switch like this constantly for about a week before another trainer appeared in our town asking about Sky Pillar. They wanted to know where it was located, so we gave him directions. The next day everyone could see a green, serpent Pokemon flying through the skies, heading east. It was first time I had seen such a Pokemon. Immediately the skies returned to normal and it remained that way._

Blake flipped ahead a few pages since he couldn't think of any events that matched what was described by Gerald. After flipping through several pages, Blake found a particularly long entry.

_Tyler Algura – A trainer came to our town one day, and stayed for about a week, asking for any kind of information on the Legendary Golems. She explained that she had been to that told her the tomb of the Golems was somewhere along this sea Route. We knew of the tomb, my grandfather had stumbled onto and recorded the text that was engraved on the walls. It spoke of three Golems that helped shape the world.. One of ice that created the colder regions of the world, one of rock that assisted another Pokemon setting the foundation of the world, and one of steel that assisted the humans in building cities and towns. For a time the Golems were at peace with people, but the humans began to fear them when they realized how much power the Golems possessed. Violence broke out between the Golems and humans, that violence resulted in bloodshed so the Golems were sealed away. By the looks of it, that happened long before the founding of Pacifidlog Town._

_We gave the trainer directions to the tomb and she left. Several days later she returned asking for help in translating the text she had found on the inside of the tomb. We had already translated it years before so we gave it to her. She thanked us again, and gave us with a bag of fruits we have never seen before, then she left again and never returned. Weeks had passed before something strange had happened. A Pokemon passed by Pacifidlog Town, crossing the ocean on its feet from the east. It was tall and white with several black strips on its body, and it possessed the same text on its body as the writing in the tomb as well as what was on the Legendary Golem Pokemon. It did nothing to our town but pass right by us, disappearing into the sea. Not even an hour later the sea became rough as the White Golem Pokemon appeared again, this time the three Legendary Golem Pokemon following it._

_The rough waters became still as they left us, but then we saw a green serpent Pokemon fly through the air in the same direction as the Golems. Soon the skies became very dark, something I hadn't seen in my life time. The waters became rough, and the skies rained, thunder boomed for weeks and weeks._

_Marvin Algura – My father Tyler died of old age handing the town log book to me. Decades passed but the rain, rough waters and thunder haven't stopped. Not a single trainer has visited our town, but I suppose that should be expected with how rough the seas are. Time passed on, I grew old never seeing the sun my father had talked about seeing. Food was scarce with the waters, fishing was hard, but we could still get the food need to keep everyone alive._

_I have three other brothers, all of them older than I. But all three left Pacifidlog Town before the time of rough water began, seeking better lives on the main land. We haven't heard a word from them since they left, but that should be expected since the weather has been terrible._

Blake skipped a head another set of pages, reading about how each of the elders described the event that seemed to last through the lives of over eleven different elders. Finally, Blake found page that spoke about the Legendary Golems once more.

_Marcus Algura – It was like any other day, that is, until a tall white creature with a strange text on its body passed through the waters one day, the skies clearing behind it. The creature disappeared into the water, and we all looked up at the sun for the first time. It was amazing, so bright, so warm. The raging waters we had been living on calmed down for the first time in everyone's life._

_A green creature flying through the air roared before it flew up into the clouds and out of sight. Life became peaceful for the first time, we could fish happily and the town grew larger._

Blake turned the page, finding the last entry that was written by the current Pacifidlog elder.

"Can I spend some time reading this, I won't leave." Blake asked.

"Take you're time." The elder said, rising from his chair give Blake some space, leaving the house.

Blake spent a good three or four hours reading each and every entry and he had come to one conclusion. Pacifidlog Town had been untouched during the Dark Days.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 26. Now we step into Hoenn and the legends concerning the Dark Days in this region. What else could unfold with the appearance of Titus as well as the family with the mysterious baby Toby and the Crest of Jirachi. And Blake's discovery of Pacifidlog Town brings even more question. Stay tuned because now things are rolling.<strong>

**Minor change in the Hoenn geography, Sky Pillar is located on Route 133 instead of of Route 131. It's nothing drastic, I just changed its location so that it fits the accounts recorded by the Pacifidlog elders.**

**Read it, enjoy it, and review it!**


	27. A Dark Crest

Chapter 27

**Pacificdlog Town**

After a careful analysis of the entries during the Dark Days, Blake could see that they had been completely isolated from beginning to end, no one came, and anyone who left never came back. It was odd, how was this town missed when word of the Committee and Battle Circuit spread like wildfire across the world.

"So you're telling me you don't know a thing about the Pokemon Battle Circuit or the Pokemon Committee?" Blake asked, approaching the elder who was seating outside his house with a wooden fishing pole and string in his hands.

"…No, not once. But you keep putting that word in front of a lot of what you're saying, what is Pokemon?" The elder asked, using Pokemon as a verb while Blake's left eye twitched.

This question was completely worth losing his cool over, but remembering how the previous elder addressed Pokemon as strange creatures, it appeared that not even the Pokemon came near this town for a while now.

"You don't know what a Pokemon is?"

"No. I've seen that word in many of the entries in the log book, but I have no idea what it actually is." The elder noted, placing his fishing rod down.

'So I was right, they were completely isolated, even from Pokemon.' Blake noted mentally while taking all six of his Poke-balls off his belt. "This is a Pokemon."

Blake tossed all six Poke-balls he had on his belt into the air, releasing his entire team. The loud sound produced by a Poke-ball when releasing a Pokemon attracted the attention of all the towns' people who rushed out their houses to see what the commotion was about.

The elder stared in awe at Blake's six Pokemon team.

"W…What are those things?" The elder managed to get out, observing all of Blake's Pokemon. Crossing the wooden planks, the citizens of Pacifidlog Town rushed over the raft the elder's house was located on.

All of them nervously approached Blake's Pokemon, trying to get a good look at each of the strange creatures that appeared in their town. All but Shelgon and Poliwrath glared at the crowd, but Poliwrath took this a moment to show off, firing a jet of water into the air.

"Wow!" The town's people said as the water rained down on them as a mist.

Shelgon did the same, firing a Dragonbreath attack into the air. The green flames were a spectacle to the crowd, but before they fell back down on to the people, Poliwrath put out the flames with another water attack. The crowd applauded for the Pokemon, hoping Pupitar, Quilava, Gallade and Absol would do something too.

Quilava, Gallade and Absol just glared at the crowd who instantly backed away, preferring Poliwrath and Shelgon over them. But Pupitar, who was _somewhat_ friendlier than the rest of them, decided to join in, firing a Dark Pulse into the air where both Poliwrath and Shelgon attacked it, creating a dazzling purple blast in the air.

"Amazing." The elder said in awe, Blake keeping a neutral expression even though he was tempted to smirk at the crowd's reaction to everything Poliwrath, Shelgon and Pupitar were doing. "How can they do things like that?"

Blake was caught off guard. He may have been a good trainer, but he was no Professor, and explaining why each Pokemon possessed these abilities was a feat Blake knew he couldn't accomplish.

"That's something not even the most skilled trainers can answer." Blake replied, looking at his team where Poliwrath was trying to convince the others to join in.

Quilava turned away with a snort, but found itself partially submerged in water since Poliwrath had pushed it off the raft they stood on. The Fire type Pokemon rose from the water, glaring at Poliwrath who was ready for what comes after picking a fight with Quilava.

The citizens of Pacifidlog Town stared in awe as Quilava jumped into the air, surrounding itself in flames as it dropped toward Poliwrath. Poliwrath countered the Flame Wheel attack with Ice Punch, partially freezing some of the flames which allowed it to push Quilava backward, straight into Gallade and Absol.

The three Pokemon landed in the water of the sea Route, the crowd cheering for Poliwrath. As the group of three resurfaced, Blake sighed inwardly since he knew this battle would get out of control pretty soon.

"Here we go again." He muttered.

All three burst out of the water, landing on the raft where they rushed at Poliwrath with dark scowls, engaging the Pokemon in battle. Pupitar and Shelgon were quick to jump into the four way battle, much to the crowds delight as they watched blasts of fire, water and green flames fly into the skies. Pink energy waves dispersed above the town, blades of wind flew out in all directions and dark energy sphere crashed into the water creating large splashes.

With his team distracted in a six way brawl, Blake pulled out his Pokedex, bringing up the map function to figure out where he was located in Hoenn, but what was strange was the his location never showed up on the map.

'Hmm…I must be too far from a signal for it to locate me.' Blake said mentally before requesting to location of Meteor Falls. 'Damn, I don't know where I am but judging from all the water, I must be on the east side of Hoenn, so that's at least a two week journey to get there.'

Eventually the match between all six Pokemon came to an end with an impressed crowd of people cheering for them.

Poliwrath proudly flexed its muscles in front of the crowd as they cheered for the Water type Pokemon who was the last one standing, the other members of Blake's team resting on their bottoms breathing heavily.

The stamina of each of his Pokemon varied, and judging from this session, it was obvious Poliwrath's was much larger than everyone else's, probably from his evolution a few weeks ago.

"Return guys." Blake said, returning all his Pokemon but Poliwrath.

The crowd groaned in disapproval since they wanted to see the battle continue.

"Sorry, but everyone else is pretty tired so I have to end the battle there." Blake explained as he took out a Super Potion to spray Poliwrath with and restore some of its health. "Plus, I have to make to Meteor Falls in the next month."

"Meteor Falls, that quite a journey you have to make." The elder noted, nodding to Blake. "But can you tell us your name. I must put down your name in the log book and speak about the boy who introduced us to Pokemon."

"Blake." Blake said before motioning for Poliwrath to get into the water.

"Alright Blake, good luck on your journey with Pokemon." The elder said as the town's people joined in, mainly telling Poliwrath to do its best.

**8/4/0046/Evening**

**Route 121**

Grace and Matt quietly walked along the dirt pathway on Route 121, both of them with the same question in mind. What happened on Mt Pyre?

Just a few hours ago the two of them had finally reached the mountain where Blake was located, they found a sight that didn't match the description of Mt Pyre in Matt's Pokedex.

Instead of a normal mountain at the center of a large waterway, they found an active volcano, lava rolling down the mountain side and into the water. The entrance to the mountain had been blocked off, and after a while the two of them were forced to give up and keep moving, hoping Blake had left the mountain.

'I wonder what happened to turn Mt Pyre into and active volcano?' Grace asked herself, looking down at her feet. Something was up, and it probably had something to do with Blake, that Absol and the Orbs. 'Could Blake be...dead?'

Grace took a moment to look up before shaking her head.

'No, Blake couldn't be dead. I'm sure his Crest would have acted up in some way.' Grace reasoned with herself. 'But they what happened to him?'

**8/5/0046/Morning**

**Slateport City**

One of the many grand cities in the Hoenn region, this one possessing the largest seaport of the region that was used to import and export numerous goods to other regions. It was filled with skyscrapers but divided into a business district and a residential district, creating hectic mornings as people commute from the residential area to the business district.

The harbor was well known for the contests and showcases it has with foreign trainers and tourists in order to promote the harbor and bring in more tourists for more money.

The city itself is nothing but a copy of the original Slateport City that was built further north than the original since it had been leveled during the Dark Days.

* * *

><p>"Arika, take Toby and head to the park." Jim said, handing his blonde haired daughter the small child that had been suspiciously quiet since it woke up this morning.<p>

Jim had spotted a tall male with auburn hair in the mass of people moving through the streets of Slateport City. He was dressed in all black, but that was hidden beneath the long brown trench coat he wore.

"Did you saw him, right?" Marilyn asked, placing her hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Yeah, he must've sensed Toby's Crest when it was open that night and tracked us down already." Jim explained, keeping an eye on the man that had been following them since they found Toby. He was truly dangerous, the man that possesses the Dark Crest of Heatran, Zane. "He's directly across the street from us."

"Dad, should I go now?" Arika asked politely.

"When we reach that intersection, the park will be to the right, but your mother and I have to keep going straight because the store we're looking for is that way. Take care of Toby." Jim said as they neared the intersection. The family of four split, the parents continuing down the street while the kids disappeared into the crowd of people that made a right with them.

"Is he still following us?" Marilyn whispered as Jim glanced over his shoulder.

Zane, who had spotted the family a while ago, began following them but he wasn't completely sure if this was family he was looking for since none of them radiated the energy given off by Crests of Light. As Jim looked over his shoulder, he made eye contact with Zane who was across the street which was all he needed to confirm his target.

"Heh, target sighted." Zane said before he jumped into an alleyway, disappearing from Jim's sight which put the man on edge.

"He's coming." Jim said sharply before tugging his wife into an alleyway with him, only for a black blur to appear in front of them to cut off their escape route.

"You won't be escaping me this time." Zane said, pointing at Jim and Marilyn while shedding his trench coat. Jim and Marilyn tightened their jaws before the two agreed mentally that it was time to fight.

The duo opened their Crests, a black circle appearing on Jim's wrist while a green tree trunk formed on Marilyn's left wrist. The two of them jumped, easily going up the twenty feet they needed to get onto the roof of the building they had been standing next to.

"Go!" Jim shouted as they took off in a sprint, but once again a black blur appeared in their path, morphing into Zane.

"Like I said, I'm not letting you escape this time. You may have weakened Heatran last time with help from that girl, but I brought down your Darkrai and Celebi with it." Zane explained, tightening both his fists as blotches of orange began to form all over the skin that was visible to Jim and Marilyn, his brown eyes changing to bright orange as well. "Now that you're defenseless, all I have to do is destroy you Crests and get that baby."

'He fully opened his Crest already?' Marilyn exclaimed mentally before Jim let out a yelp of pain. The woman turned to her right to see Zane standing where he husband had previously been standing, his left arm extended. Behind Marilyn, Jim had come to a skidding halt on his back, stopping just before the edge of the roof.

"First I'll take care of you." Zane said, pointing at Marilyn who instantly put up a cross arm block in front her torso, barely managing to put up the guard in time to block the horizontal beam of energy that was fired at her from Zane's extended pointer finger.

Marilyn gasped as she was sent flying from the minor attack, landing on the roof of the building behind her. The sleeves to her shirt that covered her forearms had been burned off completely and her skin was charred black as well.

'Ugh, I thought without Heatran around he might be weaker, but he's still just as strong as back in Mauville City.' Marilyn noted as she rose to her feet, spotting her husband enter an exchange of fists with Zane, becoming overpowered not to soon after the exchange began.

Marilyn jumped at the two men, easily closing the distance between them and herself with that one leap. As she neared Zane who appeared to be fully focused on Jim, Marilyn landed a full airborne roundhouse kick to the red head's head which sent him tumbling to his left.

"Are you alright?" She asked in whisper, observing her husband who was rubbing his jaw.

"He got me pretty good just before you landed that kick, but it's nothing to worry about." Jim explained. "If we work together as team he can't focus on both of us at once, even with his Crest fully opened so we just have to stick together."

"Right." Marilyn said before an airborne blur appeared in between them. Before either of them could react, two feet extended from the blur, hitting both Jim and Marilyn at full force which sent them flying in opposite directions.

The blur that both Marilyn and Jim could've guessed was Zane jumped after Marilyn, landing a second kick from beneath the woman that kept her in the air.

Zane appeared above Marilyn who grit her teeth when she saw that he was above her, preparing to take whatever the man could hit her with. Zane smirked and plowed both his fists into Marilyn's face, sending her flying downward.

Marilyn crashed into the side of building with a hard thud before she fell from the wall down onto a few garbage cans that were stacked up in the alleyway, knocking them over. Zane wasn't sure if Marilyn was conscious or not, but his focus was forcefully brought to Jim as he landed on the roof of the building beneath him. Jim was already in front of him; his fist reeled back with an incredibly peeved expression on his face.

"This is for hitting my wife!" Jim roared as he landed a reckless over the head punch to Zane's face, the blow sending Zane reeling backward.

Just as Zane hit the roof he rolled, getting back to his feet in an instant. Zane was now sporting a busted, bloody lower lip and a harsh glare that was directed at Jim. Jim was already angry at Zane, but as he charged at the man again, the red head seemed to speed up even more.

Zane disappeared, leaving Jim flabbergasted for all but a second before he reappeared to Jim's right, performing a sweep kick that removed both of Jim's feet from the ground. Before Jim could understand what was happening, Zane completed the rotation, preparing his right hand for use. As Jim realized he was falling, he felt a sharp jolt at his abdomen before he was fired into the air, seeing Zane's glowing right hand in the position of a finished uppercut.

Jim fell back down to the roof in front of Zane clutching his lower torso in pain, but Zane kicked the man's chest to get his attention.

"Where's the baby?"

"I'll never tell you." Jim replied in whisper before Zane turned around him, going down a list of options.

'He doesn't have the baby, and neither does the woman. So that means they found someone to watch it while they keep me distracted. But they wouldn't trust that baby with just anyone. It would most likely be someone who has a Crest.' Zane said, quickly moving through his options before realization hit him when images of the girl who had helped them in Mauville came to mind. 'That blonde girl!'

**Slateport City**

**Park**

"Toby, why do you always pull at my hair?" Arika whined as the small child held a fistful of her shoulder length blonde hair, tugging on it without a reason. The small duo sat on a park bench, watching the other kids play from a distance.

"Excuse me." A voice said, getting Arika's attention.

"Yes?" She said, turning around to face a tall, sixteen year old boy with a Pupitar floating beside him.

"Can you give me some directions? I'm looking for the seaport." He said, receiving a nod from Arika.

"It's bit confusing how to get there, especially with all the people on the streets right now. Would you like if I led you there?" Arika asked kindly.

"Sure."

"My name's Arika, and this is Toby." She said politely, holding at the baby toward the boy.

"Blake." He said, glancing at the baby that was currently staring at him curiously. After making a few noises, Toby began to reach toward Blake with his tiny hands.

"Aww, he wants you to hold him." Arika said, getting a blank stare from Blake. Instead of taking Toby from the girl, Blake poked his stomach, causing Toby to giggle before his forehead and Blake's right wrist lit up, revealing their Crests.

"Crap." Blake said, quickly hiding his wrist behind back. "You didn't see that."

"Wow, you have a Crest too?" Arika exclaimed in whisper to make sure no one heard her while taking a small hat of her backpack to place on Toby's head that effectively covered his glowing Crest.

"…Wait. Don't tell me you have a-" Blake was cut off when Arika placed Toby on the bench and raised her left hand to reveal her wrist. At her command it lit up, revealing what appeared to be an ocean in different shades of blue. "Don't tell me the star on his head is a Crest too."

"Sure is." Arika replied before Blake took a moment to observe her Crest, trying to identify which Pokemon she was tied to.

"Manaphy?"

"Yup." She said, giving Blake a nod.

'I remember what I saw on Mt Tsugi. Manaphy is part of the weird picture with Darkrai holding Jirachi with a Celebi. I can't tell if she's friend of foe.' Blake said, sizing up the girl to see how he'd fare against her in battle.

"Can I see your Crest?" She asked, surprising Blake.

"Umm…sure." Blake said, realizing that once she figured out which Crest he had, depending on her reaction, that would determine how this day would play out.

She gasped after Blake showed it to her, but then she looked up at Blake with stars in her eyes.

"You're the King?" She asked quietly as Toby looked up at seemingly nothing. Before Blake could answer, a blur landed in between him and Arika.

Blake gasped before he felt a muscular forearm hit his neck, throwing him to the ground. Next he heard a shriek from Arika as she was roughly shoved to the ground.

Toby looked up at the black blur with curiosity in his eyes before he was snatched up from the bench. The blur leaped up from the ground to the roof tops of Slateport City.

"Toby!" Arika shouted when she realized only one person would go through the trouble of taking Toby like that. Zane.

The red head smirked as he stared at Toby who was held in a small pocket created by his left arm.

"Finally. Alan will be pleased that I finally caught you." Zane said, observing Toby who began to cry and squirm in his arm.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

**Part 27 is up. Blake continues his journey to Meteor Falls only to run into yet another hurdle in Slateport City where meets a two people who also possess a Crest.**

**In response to a request, here's a list of some of the Crests and their corresponding Legendary Pokemon. I won't name everyone who has a Crest because that would give away some huge plot points.**

**Blake - (This one is a secret for now, but you'll find out soon.) Mari - Entei. Robbie - Raikou. Matt - Suicune. Grace - Ho-oh. Lana - Lugia. Roy - Zapdos. Jim - Darkrai. Marilyn - Celebi. Arika - Manaphy. Toby - Jirachi.**

**The Dark Crests. Alan - Latios. Zane - Heatran.**

**I'd like some feedback on the fight sequence between Jim, Marilyn and Zane so leave a review and enjoy. :)**


	28. Battle in Slateport City

Chapter 28

Moments ago, the blonde haired girl known as Arika was examining Blake's Crest, the next both teenagers were on the ground while a black figure snatched up the baby Toby from the bench he had been seated on.

"Toby!" Arika called out a second time as she jumped to her feet, searching the skies for Zane who had vanished just as fast as he had appeared.

Blake lay flat on his back, looking up at the blue sky before the calls from Arika for Toby snapped him out of his daze. Seeing Arika's outstretched hand, he accepted it and rose to his feet with her help.

"Thanks." Blake began as the blonde female continued to look around for where Zane hand run off to. "But can you tell me what's going on here."

"I'll explain later, you have to help me find Toby." Arika explained as she opened her Crest, the four cyan colored lines circling around her wrist like bracelets beginning to extend down her forearm.

Without an answer from Blake, Arika grabbed his left arm and leaped into the air, pulling him up with her to the roof tops. The by standers that had seen Zane push away Blake and Arika and then steal Toby were even more astonished to see the fourteen year old girl jump to the top of a four story building.

* * *

><p>The small baby in Zane's arms continued to cry and scream as the man began to move across the roof tops of the city, a wide smirk on his face.<p>

"I told Alan I'd be able to steal you even though there were three other Crests guarding you." Zane said to Toby who only screamed in return, trying to wiggle out of his grasp. 'Now all I have to do is leave the city and I'm home free.'

"Hold it right there!" A female shouted from behind him, getting Zane's attention.

Glancing over his shoulder, Zane spotted Arika blitzing toward with giants leaps that skipped several buildings even with the extra weight of Blake who she was still pulling along by his wrist, his Pupitar chasing after them.

Blake wore a blank expression as Arika jumped from building to building, still trying to comprehend the fact that she was building hopping with ease.

As Zane began to increase his pace, two moving figures caught his attention from the corner of his left eye. Jim and Marilyn were moving to intercept his course, and by the looks of it, he would have to fight all these people now. Coming to a halt on a rectangular 40' by 60' roof, Zane found himself surrounding by Jim, Marilyn, Arika and Blake who was currently resting on his bottom, staring the at the group of freaks he had run into now.

"Give back Toby!" Arika shouted, pointing at Zane who was observing the four people and one Pokemon that were surrounding him.

"I was hoping it wouldn't end up like this, but it's a good thing I took the precaution of preparing a trump card." Zane said, raising his left hand above his head. "Heatran, come!"

"What?" Jim exclaimed as Zane's Crest became even brighter, almost blinding before a loud roar shook the building.

'Heatran should still be out cold from the battle in Mauville!' Marilyn said mentally.

Everyone but Zane and Pupitar lost their footing, landing on their bottoms as a large Pokemon standing on all fours landed next to Zane, creating a ripple effect of cracks in the roof.

Blake snapped out his daze at the sight of Heatran, recognizing the Fire type Pokemon from what he had seen on Mt Tsugi. The Lava Dome Pokemon roared at Zane who jumped back.

"Just take care of those two kids behind me and you can go back to sleep." Zane replied, pointing toward Arika and Blake with his thumb.

"What's that Pokemon doing here?" Blake asked with a serious expression, staring at Zane and Heatran.

"Heatran. That's Zane's partner. They've been hunting us down to try and steal Toby for a few months now." Arika explained, glancing at the boy beside her. "It's heavily damaged right now from our last battle with it so it shouldn't be that much of a threat right now."

"Then leave Heatran to me. You get the baby back." Blake replied, his eyes becoming a lime green color. "Pupitar, are you ready?"

"Tar." The Hard Shell Pokemon replied, its eyes becoming a lime green as well.

"We'll make and opening for you, after that, its up to you." Blake said to Arika who gave him a nod. 'Pupitar, use Dark Pulse!'

The silent order was received by Blake's partner, a sinister black orb with a purple outline forming in front of Pupitar. Without a word, the sphere of energy was fired at Heatran who had its back turned, but just before the Dark Pulse made contact with Heatran, it jumped.

Zane smirked as the orb flew past him, on a direct course for Jim who was seated up right on the ground. The blonde haired male barely managed to put his arms up in front of him in time to block the attack, but the power still sent him sliding across the roof while Zane took this opportunity to make his move.

The red head jumped to the next roof, beginning to exit the scene leaving Marilyn to rise to her feet and pursue him while Jim came to a stop, his forearms blackened from the hit.

"Daddy!" Arika shouted when she realized Blake's missed attack had hit her father instead. The girl quick sprinted over to her father to observe the damage to his arms.

"Don't worry, its nothing major." Jim said as Heatran landed on the adjacent roof, glaring at Blake and Pupitar who had tried to attack it. "We have to take Toby back no matter what, so go help your mother. Is that boy trying to help us?"

"Yes dad, he's the King." Arika replied, gaining a gasp from her father.

"The King?"

"Yeah, but I don't know how much he can help us since he can't even open his Crest at the moment." Arika explained, watching her father sit of straight, observing Blake who had giving Pupitar another order to attack Heatran who dodged it with ease before unleashing a Flamethrower attack on Pupitar who easily shook of the attack.

"But he's battling with Pokemon and that's more than enough to help us at the moment." Jim said calmly before pointing in the direction Zane and Marilyn had left in. "Go back up your mother, I'll be there in a minute."

"Be safe." Arika said as they bumped fists before leaping off the roof the pursue her mother.

'Pupitar, use Stone Edge!' Blake commanded. Focused attacks couldn't keep up with the surprisingly high speed Heatran could move at, so now Blake was attempting a spread tactic.

"Pupi-tar!" It said, a white halo appearing around it as chunks of the roof were ripped out from the structure, floating in the air around Pupitar. "Tar!"

The chunks of stone were launched at Heatran all together, covering a wide area that would hopefully trap the Lava Dome Pokemon.

"Tran!" The Fire type Pokemon roared as a white halo appeared around it as well, pieces of the roof it was standing on rising around it to protect it from Pupitar's attack. Both the attacking stones and defending stones shattered on impact with each other, resulting in Blake and Pupitar being right back where they were at the beginning of the battle.

"Damn, this is going to be annoying." Blake muttered under his breath.

"That's exactly what I said the first time I battled this Heatran." Jim said, gaining Blake attention. "Don't worry about hitting it for now. It's damaged right now and if you keep wearing it down right now, its stamina will run out and that's when you can take it down."

Blake gave Jim a blank stare for at least three seconds, an unnerving stare that was beginning to creep Jim out before the boy finally thanked him for the tip.

"Anytime." Jim said before turning in the direction his wife, daughter and Zane had left in. "Good luck, King."

Blake's eyes widened as he looked back at Jim again, but the man had was already sailing through the air to join the chase for Zane.

'Pupitar, did you hear that?' Blake asked his partner mentally.

"Tar." It replied, moving to its left to dodge a large burst flames from Heatran.

'But you want to fight Heatran head on don't you?' Blake asked, receiving a firm response from his Pokemon.

"Pupitar!" It replied.

'Alright then, start of with Rock Polish.' Blake said, watching Pupitar begin to glow, the rugged body it possessed becoming polished and reflective. 'Now let's attack with Iron Head.'

The front of Pupitar's body became as bright white as it burst forward toward Heatran with a new level of speed, catching the Lava Dome Pokemon off guard.

"Tran!" It roared after taking the hit, sliding across the roof on its side.

'Pupitar, don't let up. Use Dark Pulse and follow up with Iron Head again!' Blake said mentally.

"Pu!" Pupitar said as it charged up another sphere of black energy in front of it before firing it at the downed Heatran. As soon as the Dark Pulse was fired, Pupitar burst forward as well, the front part the Hard Shell Pokemon beginning to glow white as it charged toward the Fire type Pokemon.

"Heat-tran!" The Legendary Pokemon shouted, rising to its feet as the claws on its two forward feet extended in length, coming a bright silver color.

Easily slapping away with the Dark Pulse with one of its forward feet, Heatran charged toward the approaching Pupitar.

"Pupitar!" Blake shouted as Heatran slapped away Pupitar with ease just as it had to the Dark Pulse.

With its black and white vision, Heatran noticed the oddly colored energy coming from Blake's right arm, a dark silver. A color the Lava Dome Pokemon had never seen before.

Roaring at Blake, Heatran took off in a charge towards the undefended sixteen year old boy.

'Oh crap.' Blake muttered as Heatran leaped toward him, raising one of its feet which it planned to smash down onto the boy.

Jumping backward, Blake barely evaded Heatran's claws. With a sigh of relief, Blake was glad he moved since the small portion of the roof Heatran's attack had hit crumbled beneath its foot. Heatran quickly pulled its foot out the hole it had created and charged at Blake again like a raging bull.

Reaching for one of the Poke-balls on his belt, Blake was planning to release another Pokemon to back up Pupitar, but as he got his hand on the Poke-ball, Heatran was in front of him, swing its massive foot toward him with its extended claws that would tear Blake to shreds.

Bracing himself for the hit, Blake didn't notice the gray blur rushing toward him from his left, managing to slip itself in between Blake and Heatran's claws, taking the hit for him.

'Pupitar?' Blake explained before feeling Pupitar's body being smashed into his, the Hard Shell Pokemon being unable to hold back Heatran's foot. Both trainer and Pokemon were sent flying to their right, over the edge of the building where Blake realized they were in for at least a four story drop before they hit the ground of the alleyway.

"Crap." Blake muttered, looking down at the distance he and Pupitar were beginning to fall, the Hard Shell Pokemon appearing to be dazed from the hard hit it took from Heatran to protect Blake.

"Pup-itar!" Blake's partner shouted as a surge of energy traveled through Blake's body, not originating from his right wrist but his chest.

"Pupitar?" Blake said, looking at his partner who began to glow in a bright white beneath him. "You're, evolving."

The Hard Shell Pokemon began to grow in size, easily surpassing Blake in size and weight. Before it evolution was complete, the evolving Pupitar and Blake hit the ground with a loud thud, Blake landing onto of his partner while it destroyed the pavement on impact, creating a dust cloud which gained the attention of any bystanders.

"Tyranitar." A deep voice mumbled from beneath Blake. As the cloud began to clear, Blake could see Pupitar's newly evolved form, resembling its body as a Larvitar only three times as big.

"You did it. You made it all the way to your final evolution." Blake exclaimed, looking down at the large Pokemon he was resting on top of, Tyranitar returning his statement with a smirk. "You've gotten stronger over the course of our journey, and now it's time for me to show my strength too."

Blake's Crest began to glow even brighter, gray lines extending from each of the five parts of the pentagon, up his arm up to his shoulder where it branched out onto his upper torso and neck like it had when he was traveling to Mt Pyre. Energy raged through Blake's body as he felt his body become lighter than a feather, almost like he could fly at his own will.

Jumping off of Tyranitar, Blake recalled the Armor Pokemon to its Poke-ball before deciding to see if he could jump like Arika could with her Crest open.

"Let's do this." Blake said, jump straight up, easily exiting the dust cloud Tyranitar had created before pushing off the wall to continue his upward movement toward the roof Heatran had thrown him off of.

With two more wall jumps, Blake was standing on the adjacent roof to the one Heatran was located on, the Lava Dome Pokemon glaring at him.

"Tyranitar." Blake said, calling out his partner who jumped out its Poke-ball, appearing beside Blake. "Use the Modified Dark Pulse." Blake said, pointing at Heatran.

"Tyranitar." It said, raising one hand above it head to allow the sphere of blank energy to form. For the first time in quite a while, Blake watched as dual type Pokemon flattened the Dark Pulse into a disk with a purple outline which it then threw at Heatran.

Unleashing a blast of scarlet flames, Heatran planned to steer away the attack, but the Dark Pulse easily cut through the flames, running straight into Heatran which sent the Legendary Pokemon flying off the roof.

"Nice, Tyranitar."

* * *

><p>Heatran came flying into an open plaza in Slateport City like a meteorite, hitting the large fountain that was the center piece to the beautiful area, breaking through the stone with ease.<p>

Many people that were in the plaza stared in shock, looking up at the sky to see if any more Pokemon were coming down.

"What Pokemon is that?" Many on lookers asked, watching Heatran struggle to rise to his feet, groaning as it rose.

Moments later, another figure landed in the plaza, directly in front the fountain where Heatran was resting.

"Tyranitar, Absol, Gallade, come on out!" Blake said, releasing three Pokemon at once to finish his battle with Heatran.

Both Absol and Gallade glanced at Tyranitar, noticing that Pupitar possessed a new form. Before either could make a comment, their attention was drawn to Heatran who now back on its feet, soaked in water and panting.

Blake's eyes became a lime green once again as did Tyranitar's, Gallade's and Absol's. The first thing Blake noticed was that he could see Heatran through three different perspectives, something he wasn't planning on.

'Dustin told me I could only Synchronize with one of them at a time.' Blake said, recalling the first time he had Synchronize with his entire time at once which caused him great pain and a huge drain on his stamina, yet he wasn't feeling either of those at the moment. 'Unless…'

Glancing at his glowing wrist, Blake could only come up with one answer.

"It must be the Crest." Blake said before looking at his team with smirk. 'Alright guys, this is what I want you to do.'

Tyranitar, Absol and Gallade gave Blake one collective nod before preparing their attacks for the one combined attack that Blake had explained to them via the Synchronism.

Creating a Modified Dark Pulse, Tyranitar glanced at Absol and Gallade to its left, waiting for them to have their attacks read as well. Absol had charged up an orb of royal purple energy in front its open mouth, nodding to Tyranitar.

Both looked to Gallade who's forearm was glowing in a neon pink, continuing to pour all its energy into this Psycho Cut attack like Blake had told it to do.

'Ready…go!' Blake shouted. Absol was first to fire its attack, launching its Shadow Ball attack Heatran. Tyranitar was next, throwing the disk which quickly caught up with the Shadow Ball fusing with the attack which resulted with the Shadow Ball becoming the center of the spinning disk.

Gallade was last, firing off a huge Psycho with a swing of its arm, releasing a wide pink crescent that combined with the attack as well, giving the disk a pink outline.

Heatran's eyes widened at the approaching attack before it decided to use all the energy it had left to try and over power the attack. As its body gained a red tint, Heatran opened its mouth revealing a white light. From its mouth, Heatran produced a white beam with orange flames spiraling around the beam that raced toward the collaboration attack.

The two attacks met with in silence, but to everyone's surprise, Blake's combination attack deflected Heatran's Overheat to the right, sending the attack into a building, blowing a large hole through the structure. Continuing its path, the spinning Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball, Psycho Cut combination hit Heatran head on. The attack dispersed, creating a large purple dome that sent Heatran flying into one of the nearby buildings where it hit the wall, leaving an imprint before dropping to the ground.

Its eyes were replaced with swirls; the signal for Blake to make sure this battle was over. Opening his backpack packet as quickly as he could, Blake pulled out one of the black and yellow balls he had purchased with his IBF winnings.

Pressing the center of the tiny Ultra Ball that had been stored in his bag, the ball grew to match the size of Blake's palm. Giving it a toss, the Ultra Ball hit Heatran, swallowing the Pokemon before it dropped the ground, shaking back and forth. This continued for several moments before a low hum could be heard from the ball in the silent area.

Many of the people who were watching burst into cheers, applauding Blake for his successful, action packed capture of Heatran.

* * *

><p>Zane rested on his bottom, bruised in battered as he held his left shoulder which was throbbing in pain. He had been stripped of Toby just a few minutes ago and then beaten to a pulp by the family that he failed to out run.<p>

"You guys proved to be a lot stronger than I planned on." Zane mumbled, looking down as he tried to think of a way out of this situation.

Jim, Marilyn and Arika possessed Crests so they knew handing him over the local authorities would be pointless, so they were probably trying to figure out how they should remove his Crest.

'If I stayed with Heatran, maybe this would've gone better since they couldn't call out their Pokemon. But that boy that showed up with the girl kept Heatran distracted while all three of them came after me.' Zane muttered mentally, glaring at the group. 'After that I was pretty much finished.'

Feeling a draining sensation wash over him, Zane's eyes became wide.

"Damn it!" He shouted, jumping to his feet despite the amount of pain it caused his muscles. Becoming a blur, Zane began to bounce from roof to roof in search of Heatran. 'That damn kid must've captured it. I only have a few minutes at the most to get it back out or else it'll be too late.'

"He must be going to check on Heatran." Jim said, receiving nods from Marilyn and Arika. "Let's move!"

The crying Toby had become quiet the moment he had been taken back by his care takers, happy to be back with people that didn't reek of dark vibes.

* * *

><p>Collecting the Ultra Ball from the ground, Blake pocketed the ball before turning to the three Pokemon he had used in battle, giving them a thumbs up. All three of them returned it with a smirk, happy that the content with how successful the collaboration attack had been.<p>

"Rest up guys." Blake said, holding up two Poke-balls to return Absol and Gallade, but before either of them could withdrawn to their Poke-balls, Zane dropped down behind Blake, quickly wrapping his left arm around Blake's neck, capturing the boy in a headlock.

All three of the Pokemon Blake had out were surrounding Zane in an instant, Gallade placing its sharp forearm near Zane's neck, Absol doing the same with its horn. Tyranitar was giving Zane its darkest glare as it charged up another Modified Dark Pulse, prepared to attack if needed.

Glancing at all three Pokemon, one after another, Zane grunted.

'Have to get rid of these nuisances first, then get Heatran back.' Zane said mentally, condensing his energy into three different points on his body. His left forearm, his left shoulder, and his right knee.

From each of those spots on his body, a thin line of purples was fired at each of Blake's Pokemon. Blake watched in horror as Gallade was pierced straight through torso from a flames coming from Zane's right shoulder.

Absol howled in pain as the line of flames from Zane's right knee went through its torso as well while Tyranitar dropped to the ground after the flames cracked straight through its armor, putting a hole straight its neck.

All three of Blake's Pokemon were down on the ground, their eyes becoming dark which was bad sign.

"No." Blake said in whisper before his Crest lit up, covering his entire right arm in a white light while a white halo enveloped his body. "NO!"

Blake roared as his eyes became a bright silver color, the white halo forcing Zane to release his hold on Blake as the halo grew in size. Jumping back, Zane took his distance, but in the blink of an eye, Blake was behind him, landing a full roundhouse kick to his torso which sent Zane tumbling across the flat surface.

As Zane came to stop, laying flat on his back, Blake landed on top of him, pinning him down to the ground by his neck which he held tightly, beginning to choke the man. Blake glared at the man darkly, watching the blotches of orange covering Zane's body begin to recede into his Crest.

Grabbing Zane's left wrist with his right hand, Blake's hand become white as well as he gathered a large amount of energy into the palm of his hand, the focus point for the attack. Zane gasped, recognized the attack Blake was about to use.

Zane's left wrist and his hand disappeared as beam of white energy was fired from Blake's palm, completely consuming the man's hand and wrist in the light which vaporized his appendage.

Arika, Marilyn and Jim looked down from the roof they stood, watching Blake's display.

"I thought you said he didn't have any training." Jim said, looking at his daughter who put her hands up in defense.

"He couldn't even open his Crest when I met him, I can't explain how he can suddenly use a Crest Beam." Arika responded before Marilyn shushed them.

"It looks like its over." She said, pointing down at Zane and Blake.

Zane began to scream as the light cleared; revealing his left arm that now lacked a hand and wrist, blood beginning to drain out the large wound. For a few moments the man just screamed, staring at his wrist before his eyes became unfocused. Zane's arm dropped, hitting his chest with a dull thud where it remained as he became very quiet.

The silver color that had taken over Blake's eyes faded away along with halo and Blake's Crest. Blake blinked several times, looking around a bit at the crowd of people that had been watching, the crowd beginning to disperse.

'Did I…kill him?' Blake asked himself before turning to look back at his three Pokemon that lay on the ground, none of them moving at all. Returning his gaze Zane once more, Blake rose to his feet, allowing his bangs to drop down in front his eyes, but then his lips curved up into a dark smile. 'With all that power.'

Blake looked down at his right wrist, recalling how easily he could move with his Crest open. He was faster, stronger and he could Synchronize with more than one Pokemon at once with it. It was, exciting. It felt good. He wanted to do that again.

'What the hell?' Blake asked himself suddenly when he realized what was going through his mind. 'That's…wrong, right? Ugh, whatever!'

Blake turned to his Pokemon, quickly returning each of them to their respective Poke-balls and collecting the Ultra Ball he had caught Heatran in before beginning his search for the Pokemon center.

"Well that's quite surprising." Marilyn commented.

"What's surprising?" Jim and Arika asked together.

"We've been battling Zane for months and we barely survived most of the battles against Heatran, but this boy can't even use his Crest properly yet he destroyed Zane's Crest with one shot and captured Heatran." She explained.

"Hey, we spent all those months weakening Heatran, all he did was show up at the right time with some strong Pokemon and catch it after we did all the work." Jim pointed out.

"No daddy, that's just the power of the King." Arika said as they watched Blake push his way through the crowd, disappearing into the sea of people that had watched his battle.

**Slateport Pokemon Center**

"I'm not going to ask what happened to them, but it'll be at least a week before they're battle ready again." Nurse Joy said, examining the Gallade that was currently being treated by one of the Chansey's.

Blake gave her a nod and a thanks before exiting the room, sighing once he was outside.

"Something wrong?" A female voice asked, gaining Blake attention. Looking to his right, Blake found Arika, Jim, Toby and Marilyn waiting for him.

"If there anything you need?" Blake asked, raising one eyebrow at the group.

"Well…because you helped us save our beloved Toby, we wanted to come and thank you." Marilyn replied with a smile which Blake didn't return.

"It was no trouble." Blake said, turning away from the family to begin walking down the hall.

"Hey, hold on." Arika said, grabbing his right arm to prevent him from getting away again. Blake tore his arm loose from her grip, grunting in pain from how sore his muscles were.

"Heh, looks like he's already beginning to suffer from the withdrawal." Jim stated with a smile as Blake gave him a casual glare.

"What withdrawal are you talking about?" Blake asked in a deadpan, holding his right arm as he tried to ignore the pain.

"Roll up your sleeve." Marilyn said, pointing toward his jacket.

Blake did as he was told and was shocked to see how almost every vein in his forearm appeared to bulge out, easily visible from a distance.

"That's what happens when you use your Crest so recklessly." Arika commented playfully, gaining a glare from Blake.

"Would like me to fix this up for you?" Marilyn asked as Blake pulled down his sleeve.

"No thanks, I'm fine." Blake replied uneasily before Jim placed his hand on Blake's shoulder to hold him back once again.

"We won't accept no for an answer. You're the King, and you need to know how to use your Crest with hurting yourself." Jim said. "So until your Pokemon are done resting, we'll be training you on how to use your Crest without having to take some of the more serious repercussions."

Before Blake could even answer, Jim and Arika grabbed him by his left arm, dragging him along with them toward the exit of the Pokemon center.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 28. Sorry for taking so long with this part. I had some trouble getting certain parts down in words so I spent a few extra days trying to sort things out.<strong>

**Anyway, Blake joins the battle against Zane to retrieve Toby, being tossed into a death match against a damaged Heatran in order to help out Toby's caretakers who also possess Crests. Now that Blake's first battle with a Dark Crest is finished with a victory for him, he faces a challenge. Learning what he can about his Crest in a one week crash course.**

**For all you people that were liking the IBF battles, don't worry, there are plenty of battles to come.**

**Please Review. Anything you have to say is appreciated, especially if you have some tips or pointers.**

**Read, Review and Enjoy! :D**


	29. It's all about the Crest

Chapter 29

* * *

><p>"Zane's Crest." An old voice muttered.<p>

"I felt it too." A female voice said.

"It disappeared." A deep voice said. "I told him not attempt stealing Jirachi unless we joined him."

"I knew he wasn't going to listen." The female said.

"Worst of all we have no one monitoring Jirachi." The deep voice added.

"Do not bother with Zane, it's too late to think about what happened to him. The two of you should continue to monitor the King." The old voice said.

"What about Titus?" The female asked.

"Once Abyss Arceus is released we will deal with him. Prepare yourselves, the Storm is near."

"Yes Master." The two said together.

**Route 110**

Blake observed the family of four in silence as they talked and laughed with each other happily, each of them taking turns to hold the baby Toby as they walked.

"Blake, why are you looking at us like that?" Arika asked, directing everyone's attention at the sixteen year old boy who was subconsciously glaring at the group.

Blake snapped out of his daze, realizing everyone was looking him now.

"Hmm?" Blake said, raising one eyebrow.

"You were glaring at us." Marilyn explained. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong. It's just that I've never traveled with this many people before so it just feel kind of...off." Blake replied.

"Off, what do you mean by that?" Marilyn asked, accepting Toby from Arika since he had begun to pull at the girl's hair again.

"Well you're all just plain weird." Blake answered, gaining a laugh from them.

"You think we're weird?" Jim asked motioning to his family while receiving a nod from Blake. "Well what's your family like if you think we're so weird."

"I wouldn't know, my parents are none existent to me." Blake said with a blank expression, causing all the smiles to disappear.

"You're an orphan?" Arika asked, looking at Blake who never broke eye contact with the rest of them.

"Yeah, it's no big deal though. The first half of my childhood I spent alone in Goldenrod City and I was fine. I didn't need anyone to take care of me, I did everything myself." Blake said. "After a while this lady named Lola took me to New Bark Town to an orphanage she and her husband were running. There were like thirty other kids at the time so I didn't bother to try competing for their attention. It was just me and my Larvitar."

"Don't you have any brothers or sisters?" Marilyn asked.

"No." Blake said quickly before looking up in thought. "Although there's this group of crazy girls I met in Ecruteak City that keep telling me I'm related to this girl I met in Violet City."

"Are you actually related to her?" Arika asked.

"I have no idea. She says we're related too, but I honestly don't know." Blake responded.

"So you've been traveling with your sister and you didn't know it?" Jim asked.

"Well she didn't know either. I had to bring her back from Mt Mortar but I passed out at some point but apparently I got back to Ecruteak City so they kidnapped us and took us to Mt Tsuji." Blake explained, getting several confused looks from the family.

"Kidnapped you? Why'd they do that?" Marilyn asked.

"As if I knew. A ton of weird crap happens around me on a daily basis, like the girl from Team Rocket that recruited me and dragged me halfway across Johto to get my face punched in my some buff guy." Blake said, recalling some of the events that happened to him in Johto.

"And you have the nerve to call us weird?" Jim mumbled, receiving an elbow from his wife. "Well it's true."

"So you have no family, but you're surrounded by freaks?" Arika inquired for clarification.

"Pretty much." Blake said.

"No family? Who gives you hugs then?" Arika asked, gaining a glare from Blake.

"I despise hugs." Blake said to them in a harsh whisper.

"But hugs make everything better." Arika reasoned with Blake, causing his glare to darken. "Do you want a hug right now?"

"Never." Blake replied in a whisper.

Arika looked back at her parents, nodding to both of them which they returned before looking toward Blake with growing smiles.

"Why are you guys looking at me like?" Blake asked in a deadpan as they all took a step toward him.

"Get him!" Arika shouted as they all jumped toward him.

Blake jumped backward, taking the remaining three Poke-balls he had on his belt off, giving them a toss to release his Pokemon. Poliwrath, Quilava and Shelgon appeared in between Blake and the family of four, each of them staring at the family while sensing Blake's move.

"Woah, a Quilava!" Arika exclaimed, snatching the Pokemon from the ground. Quilava hissed at the girl as she held it up, but that went unheard as she crushed the Pokemon in a hug.

Blake watched as each of his remaining three Pokemon were accepted by the family. Quilava continued to growl and snarl at Arika who was completely oblivious to the Pokemon's attempts to try and break out of her grip.

Poliwrath had begun to flex is muscles, gaining Jim's attention which resulted in the two having a competition of posing, each trying to outshine the other. The moment Toby had seen Shelgon he began to reach toward the Dragon type Pokemon, cooing at it. Shelgon was quick to approach the baby, Marilyn allowing Toby to feel the texture of Shelgon's skin.

'Traitors.' Blake mumbled.

* * *

><p>"I really like you're Poliwrath Blake." Jim said now that he had finished wrestling with the Water type Pokemon, holding his own for a good three minutes before Poliwrath pinned him down.<p>

"Yeah, and you're Quilava is adorable." Arika exclaimed, still holding the Fire type Pokemon that was trying to escape.

"And Shelgon is so friendly." Marilyn added, getting an agreement from Toby. Blake just glared at them, tempted to just walk away while he had the chance, but as long as Gallade, Tyranitar and Absol were in Slateport City he couldn't leave yet.

"So what did you drag me out here for?" Blake asked.

"Oh yeah. Welcome to you're week long crash course on how to use you're Crest." Jim began. "I guess we should start with how to open your Crest."

Jim raised his right arm, rolling up his sleeve where a black circle formed on his wrist, emitting a dark light.

"When you open your Crest, all of your physical abilities receive a huge boost. That's why we could jump so high and move so fast back in Slateport City." Jim explained. "You try."

Blake took a moment to stare at his right wrist. Staring intently at his blank wrist for a good two minutes, Blake finally drew a breath of air.

"I don't get it." Blake said, looking up at the man. "How do I open it?"

"Haven't you met with the Legendary Pokemon that's connected to your Crest?" Jim asked. Blake shook his head.

"I don't think so." He replied.

"Hmm, you haven't met with your partner but you were able to open your Crest and even jump up to level 3." Jim said before looking toward his wife. "Can you explain that?"

"No, I've never heard of that. How did you open your Crest in Slateport City?" Marilyn asked.

"It was when he touched Toby. Both his Crest and Toby's opened." Arika chimed in.

"Hmm, and once it was open you're emotions allowed you to progress to the higher levels." Jim said, nodding his head.

"Higher levels?" Blake repeated.

"Yeah. You're Crest has three levels you can use. Level 1 is simply when you open it and this appears on your wrist." Jim explained, pointing at the dark circle on his wrist before two lines began extended from the circle, circling around his forearm. "This is level 2, this one varies from Crest to Crest, like yours. Mine stops at my elbow while your's makes it all the way to your face."

Blake looked down at his right wrist again, clenching his hand into a tight fist as he tried to open his Crest.

"Don't worry about opening it right now, you shouldn't be able to open it until you meet with your corresponding Legendary Pokemon." Jim explained before Blake grunted, holding his forearm. Just making a fist was painful and now the veins that had disappeared back into his arms were bulging out again. "Marilyn, can you help him out?"

"Sure." She said, passing Toby to Arika. Marilyn rose from the ground, opening her Crest as she strolled over to Blake.

Grabbing the boy's forearm, a sharp pain ran up Blake's arm causing him to yelp in pain. For the few moments Marilyn had her hand around Blake's arm, her hand had grained a green glow which had been actively healing some of the damage done to his muscles until he pulled himself free of her grip.

"What are you doing?" Blake asked, glaring at her.

"Helping you." She replied.

"How are you helping me?"

"Just look at your arm."

Blake did as he was told, noticing that the area Marilyn had taken a hold was free of any bulging veins. Poking the clear area, Blake found the pain caused had greatly been reduced compared to the rest of his arm.

"What'd you do?" Blake asked.

"It comes with having a Legendary Grass type as your Crest. I have healing abilities that I can use on myself and others around me." Marilyn replied, taking a hold of his arm once again.

"Depending on the type of Legendary Pokemon you're partnered with can give you independent abilities for you to use. Like I can blend melt into someone's shadow or completely disappear at night when my Crest is open." Jim explained as his wife finished the healing process for Blake's arm.

"And I can breathe under water and match the swimming speed of a Floatzel." Arika added. "Can you do anything cool Blake? Toby can float."

Blake looked at the small child that clapped his hands together.

"So what." Blake said, looking away from the group.

"My my, could Blake be…jealous?" Marilyn asked. Blake gave her a dark glare and snorted.

"Jealous of a one year old? Never." Blake said, walking over to Arika and Toby where he took Toby from the girl.

Just like it had in Staleport City, Blake and Toby's Crests lit up, surprising Jim and Marilyn.

"Hmm, do you think his Crest reacts to him coming into contact with another Crest?" Jim asked, looking at his wife.

"He is the King so his Crest must be different from ours." Marilyn said, watching Blake pass Toby back to Arika.

"Alright, let's see what this thing can do." Blake said, tightening his right hand into a fist, staring at his wrist. Even though there was no physical evidence of this, Blake could feel his wrist swell up for a moment like a balloon.

Jim, Marilyn and Arika raised their eyebrows as five gray lines extended form his Crest, swirling around his arm all the way to his shoulder where each of the lines branched out onto his torso.

"Not bad, you got to level 2 on your own." Jim said. "Level 2 will allow you to call your Legendary partner, but since you haven't met it yet you won't be able to call for it if you need to. Now try getting to level 3."

Jim raised his right arm over his head the dark circle on his wrist expand, completely engulfing Jim's arm in a black color. His fingers became longer, sharper and knife-like.

"Level 3 is a bit more dangerous since your power increases greatly and you can now use some of your more powerful Crest attacks, but the longer you stay on level 3 the more damage your Crest can cause your body." Jim explained.

"Attacks? You mean like the beam thing I used back in Slateport City?"

"Yes, that's a Crest Beam, or at least that's what we call it. And this…" Jim pointed his arm straight up at the sky, a black lightning bolt dropping down on his hand with a loud clap even though the sky lacked cloud cover.

Jim then slapped the earth beneath him with his right hand, releasing the built of energy into the ground where several bolts of black electricity began to jump around the ground within a fifty yard radius. "Is a Crest Bolt."

Blake looked around the air before looking toward Jim with a smirk.

"Nice." He said. "Teach me."

**8/5/0046/Night**

**Slateport City Pokemon Center**

Blake groaned as he, Jim, Marilyn, Arika and Toby entered the Pokemon center, the teenage boy being slung over Jim's shoulder since he could no longer stand on his own two feet.

"This is what happens when you over do it Blake." Jim said with a smile.

Blake had spent the entire evening failing to mimic the Crest Bolt and Crest Beam he had seen Jim use, but once the sun had set, the boy collapsed from how much energy he had wasted.

"Let's get him a room and put him to bed." Marilyn suggested.

"Wait, I need to make a call." Blake said weakly.

"To who?" Jim asked.

"Professor Elm."

* * *

><p>"Hello?" The semi bald man said as he appeared on the video screen.<p>

"Professor Elm? It's me, Blake."

"Oh Blake, how are you...who's that?" Elm asked, noticing Arika standing beside Blake, holding the phone for him while Jim was behind him, allowing Blake to lean against him so he didn't fall out his seat.

"Just some friends I made." Blake replied. "Anyway, I caught this Pokemon but I have nothing to do with it. I figured you might be more interested in it than me."

"Sure, send it over." Elm replied, a smile growing on his face.

"Alright." Blake said before motioning for Marilyn to place the Ultra Ball in the transporter. Once it was in place, the woman pressed the go button underneath the small platform that located next to the video phone, the spherical device disappearing in a small flash of light.

"I got it." Elm said, showing Blake the Ultra Ball on the other end of the line.

"Enjoy." Blake said, motioning for Arika to hang up.

"And Blake, good luck in the IBF Tourney. I know you can win it." Elm said, receiving blank stare from the boy for a moment before he motioned to Jim.

The man lifted up Blake's arm, allowing him to give Professor Elm as thumbs up before Arika ended the call.

**Johto Region**

**Olivine City**

**Pokemon Lab**

Professor Elm turned around in his seat, looking down at the Ultra Ball Blake had just sent him.

"Hmm, he used and Ultra Ball. Whatever Pokemon it is must've been a strong opponent for him." The man said to himself, giving it a toss to release the Pokemon that was inside.

As the white flash took its form, it collapsed to the floor with a groan, coated in large bruises and its eyes replaced with swirls. Professor Elm's glasses slid down his nose as the man stared at the Pokemon, his mouth wide open.

"That can't be…" The man hastily readjusted his glasses before hunting down one of the Pokedex's he had in the messy room.

Finding one of the devices underneath a large pile of papers, Professor Elm turned to the unconscious Pokemon, taking a quick snap shot of it.

"Heatran, the Lava Dome Pokemon. Class – Legendary. Heatran is the dual type Pokemon of Fire and Steel said to live in the deepest volcanos on the planet." The Pokedex said with its electronic voice.

"How…How did Blake capture a Heatran?" Elm exclaimed, rushing over to the Pokemon to observe it closely.

**8/10/0045/Morning**

**Hoenn Region**

**Slateport City**

"Rah!" Blake shouted, slamming his right hand down on the ground once more, but just like it had during the past four days, instead of evenly distributing a charge into the ground over a wide area, Blake let it all go in one burst, putting a large crater in the ground.

"Blake, how about you take a break." Marilyn suggested as the boy climbed out the newly created crater, the skin on his arm sizzling, producing white smoke.

The boy sighed, allowing his Crest to recede back to level 1 which faded away after a few moments.

"You'll over work your Crest if you keep going at that pace." Jim said.

"Yeah, and then won't be able to move for at least a week." Arika jumped in, getting nods of agreement from Jim and Marilyn.

Blake looked toward Jim first who gave him a smile before looking at Marilyn, Arika and Toby.

Even though he wouldn't admit it verbally, Blake was enjoying the time he spent with the family of four. Each of them, including Toby had discovered a way to get under his skin with ease, forcing him to be part of their conversations and even making him watch and hold Toby every so often.

Having a family felt…nice. It was odd feeling to Blake. Not that he didn't enjoy traveling with the people he had before, but the family and squeezed their way into Blake's life a little bit each day he spent with them.

At first Jim, Arika and Marilyn had trouble breaking through Blake's steely exterior that did nothing but glare at them. But one afternoon they found Blake and Toby napping under the shade of a tree, the small child resting on his stomach with their Crests shining brightly. They found the scene so cute that all of them took multiple pictures to use for blackmail later on. This was the start to Blake being accepted into their family.

Jim had been the closest thing to a father for Blake in the past four days than anyone had in his entire life. He provided guidance for Blake and gave him proper instruction on what to do so that he could utilize everything he had learned.

Marilyn was easily a close second to Lola. Blake had hurt himself so many times in the past weak but Marilyn was always there to tend to his wounds, even attempting to give him a hug on several occasions which Blake refused with a hiss although he was grateful for the woman for how much care and concern she had showed for him.

Arika was nothing short of Grace when it came to being an annoying little sister. She could be just as bratty as Grace, but at the same time she, like Marilyn, showed a lot care and concern for Blake, and always gave him some support when it was needed.

Toby was a mystery to Blake, despite being a baby. Their were many occasions when Toby would cry until he was in Blake's arms which caused their Crests to open, but as far as his family had seen, Toby had never acted like that before. Once Toby was in his arms, Blake felt a weird sensation wash over him. Not just his Crest opening, he felt like he was floating. He saw images, but none he could describe. They would flash by within a fraction of a second Blake dazed for a few moments. Blake didn't know what to make of this, but simply decided to shrug it off.

Although having a family came with moments Blake would never be able to understand, like one morning when they were eating breakfast.

"Blake, do you have a girlfriend?" Arika asked, looking up at Blake who choked on the water he had been drinking as a picture of Lana suddenly flashed in his mind.

Arika broke out in a fit of laughter as Jim began to slap Blake's back.

"So you do have a girlfriend!" She exclaimed based on Blake's reaction.

"She's not my girlfriend." Blake said quickly once he could speak again.

"Then what is she?" Arika asked, giving him a sly glance.

"…Uh, well she said she's my fiancé." Blake said, his cheeks gaining a slight pink tint that went unnoticed by the family who's jaw dropped.

"Fiancé! Aren't you sixteen?" Jim exclaimed, receiving a nod from Blake.

"How do you have a fiancé?" Arika asked.

"I have no idea. That's just one of the strange things that happened to me." Blake replied before Arika's eyes narrowed, a small smirk forming on her face.

"Do you like her?" She asked.

"I'll never tell." Blake replied quickly.

"Not unless you want everyone to see this!" She said, showing Blake her phone where she had a picture of him and Toby napping as her background.

"Where the hell did you get that?" Blake exclaimed before noticing the stern look Marilyn was giving him.

"Watch your mouth Blake. Haven't I told you that already?" Marilyn said, causing Blake to bite his tongue before glaring at Arika. "So...do you like her?"

Blake's glare was directed at Marilyn next as she took out her phone as well, showing him the same background Arika possessed just at a different angle.

While they did torture him on many occasions, Blake was sad when the week had come to end. He had never enjoyed himself so much, but the IBF Tourney wouldn't be put on hold for just anyone.

**8/12/0046/Morning**

**Slateport City Pokemon Center**

"Thank you Nurse Joy." Blake said, accepting the three Poke-balls she held on a tray for him with small indents to keep them in place.

"It was no trouble at all. But for the next week, they're only allowed to take on light exercises until those wounds close up completely." Nurse Joy said, receiving a nod from Blake as he placed the three Poke-balls back onto his belt.

"Hey Blake, you're famous!" Arika called out to him once he finished with Nurse Joy. Blake gave her a confused look before she motioned for him to come over and look at the television screen that had been mounted on the wall of the empty lobby.

Blake joined the group of four in front the tv. The television was showing a rerun of a news report about events in Slateport City, obviously a rerun from a while ago.

"It was crazy! This Pokemon just came flying outta the sky and crashed into the fountain. Then this kid with awesome tattoos came outta the sky too and caught it." A short man being interviewed by the reporter shouted, looking directly at the camera.

"Can you describe the kid for us?"

"He was kinda tall, black hair. Crazy tattoos. Not much I can say with how fast everything happened."

"Do you know where he went?"

"No. Everyone started cheering before another freak came outta the sky and grabbed the kid in a headlock. Then he did something to the kids Pokemon and the kid went berserk and blew off the guys arm with some weird beam thing. I have no idea what it was, but if it was special affects, I give it an A plus."

"I guess I better leave before someone recognizes me." Blake said, turning away from the tv screen.

"Heading for Meteor Falls now?" Arika asked.

"Yup. I only have about a month to get there so I have to get on the move now." Blake explained.

"Good luck Blake!" Jim said, waving to the boy as he began to make his leave.

"And remember, we love you." Marilyn said, causing Blake to freeze, his eyes widening.

"Wh…What?" Blake said, glancing over his shoulder to look at the family.

"We love you Blake. I always wanted a son, and since Toby is only one, I can't expect him to hold a conversation like you do." Jim said, giving him a wide smile.

"Yeah, and I wanted an older brother. Toby never gets annoyed like you, although he is a lot nicer." Arika said, smiling as well.

"The past week spent together was wonderful Blake. We can't thank you enough for helping us save Toby and we all want to remember that if you ever need some support, you're always welcome in our family." Marilyn said.

'We love you.' The words hung in Blake's mind. They felt so foreign to him that he didn't know what to do. The option of actually taking a moment to thank them properly flashed in his mind, but that was pushed into the background but Blake who instinctively gave a response that was expected by the family.

Raising one arm, Blake pumped his right fist into the air, the family of four doing the same as the boy made his way toward the exit of the Pokemon Center.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 29, finished. This chapter was basically Blake's week with the family of Crests, what he learned and any new abilities he gained while Gallade, Tyranitar, Absol rest from the dangerous wounds inflicted on them by Zane.<strong>

**If you were wondering why any of the people with Crests need any more Pokemon besides the Legendary Pokemon their tied to, Blake hasn't met his Legendary Pokemon so he can't call it out so Pokemon are his only weapons at the moment. As for the others, when used in battle the Legendary Pokemon need time to rest after since they can't be taken to Pokemon Centers to be healed, which means there's about a month of waiting time before a Legendary Pokemon can fight at full health.**

**Read, Review and Enjoy!**


	30. Hoenn IBF Tourney Pt 1

Chapter 30

**8/18/0046/Sunrise**

**Odale Town**

Blake had spent the better half of a week being lost on the Routes in between Slateport City and Odale Town, but he was slowly progressing toward Meteor Falls, battling whatever trainers he could as he traveled.

Synchronizing with his Pokemon during their training sessions which amassed to nothing more than six way brawls between them, Blake could see that despite Quilava training as much as the others, it was beginning to fall behind in strength when compared to them.

The small Fire type Pokemon was quickly becoming skilled in its execution of Fire type attacks that it knew, but it consistently lacked the power to back up its arsenal, but the power Quilava needed could not be obtained with evolution.

Quilava insisted on battling against Poliwrath in attempt to build some kind of resistance against Water type attacks. Unfortunately, Quilava was crushed on a daily basis by Poliwrath, but Quilava's constant training against the Water type Pokemon allowed Blake to develop another attack for Quilava to work with.

Using the Pyro Quick Attack as a basis, Blake had Quilava use the intense heat as shield against oncoming Water type attacks from Poliwrath which proved to be effective, but the attack drained Quilava's stamina at an unbelievable pace. After just three uses of what Blake had dubbed, the Scarlet Shield, Quilava was completely drained and an easy knock out for whomever the opponent was.

The attack was a work in progress, and it was definitely a trump card Blake would keep in mind for desperate situation, but for now, it was on the 'do not use' listing.

* * *

><p>"Quilava, use Lava Plume!" Blake shouted, ordering the for the Fire type Pokemon to attack Tyranitar as another test of its power.<p>

The bruise covered Quilava opened its mouth, releasing a torrent of flames toward the Armor Pokemon who put up its arm as a shield from the flames.

Tyranitar smirked, feeling its shell heat up only slightly from the Lava Plume attack before it ended.

"Now Tyranitar, use Earth Power! Quilava, use Lava Plume as a boost to get yourself into the air." Blake said, giving the two Pokemon another set of orders.

Quilava opened its mouth, releasing another blast of scarlet flames which sent it sailing to the air. The ground where Quilava had previously been standing suddenly erupted, an explosion of flames rising up toward Quilava.

"Quilava, use the Scarlet Shield now!" Blake said, watching the flames from Tyranitar's Earth Power attack completely consume Quilava.

Tyranitar looked up at the flames, spotting an area in the flames that suddenly bulged outward, revealing Quilava who was descending toward Tyranitar, the air surrounding the Fire type being tinted red and blurry from the high temperature it had reached.

"Tyranitar, use a regular Dark Pulse." Blake ordered, the Armor Pokemon raising one hand over its head to allow a black orb to form which it then launched at the approaching Quilava.

Blake smirked as the Dark Pulse completely dissolved as it came into the contact with the tinted area surrounding Quilava, the attack failing to even get close to Fire type Pokemon. Tyranitar gasped as Quilava dropped down onto it, the intense heat easily causing a large amount of damage to the outside of its armor.

Tyranitar roared in pain as it fell backward, hitting the ground with a loud thud, the heat becoming too much for its armor to block out alone. But just when the Armor Pokemon raised its left arm to swat Quilava of its stomach, the heat faded away.

"Tar?" It said, looking down at its chest where it found Quilava resting on its stomach, both its eyes replaced with swirls.

"At least it can use it four successful times without resting." Blake said, reaching out to pick up the Fire type Pokemon. But as his left hand brushed against Tyranitar's armor, Blake found a burning sensation on the back his hands from just the small moment it had come into contact with Tyranitar.

Blake jumped back from Tyranitar, holding his left hand in pain, the entire back side of his hand in pain.

'Whoa. I had no idea the attack could reach such a high temperature.' Blake exclaimed mentally before calling out Poliwrath while withdrawing Quilava to its Poke-ball.

"Poliwrath, use Water Pulse on Tyranitar." Blake said.

"Poli!" It shouted, launching a large sphere of crystal clear water at Tyranitar.

As the Armor Pokemon got back to its feet, it was hit by the large sphere of water from Poliwrath, the water evaporating the moment it made contact with Tyranitar's shell, giving it an instant cool down which it was very grateful for.

"Thanks for the effort Tyranitar, rest up." Blake said, returning the Armor Pokemon to its Poke-ball.

Since it evolved, Tyranitar had become twice as strong as it was before. Although it lost some of the speed it possessed as a Pupitar, Tyranitar's new level of power easily made up for the loss, not to mention it received an entirely new move set to go with its evolution.

"Return Poliwrath." Blake said, returning the Water type Pokemon before looking at the date on his Pokedex.

The second round of the IBF Tourney was less than a month away and at the rate he was traveling at; he should make it right on time.

**9/7/0046/Morning**

**Meteor Falls**

The mountainous area of the Hoenn Region that was home to fierce Pokemon that were housed in the large caves that filled this region. A small portion of the northern area of this mountain range had been flattened by humans to construct one of the largest Battle Domes on the planet.

"Whoa!" Grace exclaimed, looking at the huge building that stood on from the mountain side it was built next to. The Meteor Falls Battle Dome was a sight to behold. Larger in size and capacity than any other Battle Dome in the Hoenn Region, the outside of the silver, oval shaped stadium was decorated with fancy lights that were a beauty when seen at light.

"We made it." Matt said as they entered the double doors, finding a large but empty lobby with Nurse Joy seated behind her desk reading a magazine.

"Hello?" Grace said as she and Matt approached Nurse Joy, receiving a wave from the woman.

"Oh yes, what can I do for you?" She asked with a smile.

"We're here to register for the second round of the IBF Tourney." Grace continued, receiving a nod from Nurse Joy as she closed her magazine, spinning in her chair to face one of the two computer screens that rested on her desk.

"Alright, I'll need your Battle Circuit License." She said, raising one hand toward them as she continued to type with one hand.

Grace was first, handing over her license to Nurse Joy who observed the card for a moment before placing her card in a small slot next to the keyboard.

"Grace from Johto?"

"Yep." Grace replied.

"Then you're all set." Nurse Joy said, passing Grace's license back to the girl before accepting Matt's card.

"Hey Nurse Joy, where are all the other competitors?" Matt asked as the woman placed his card in the slot.

"The second round doesn't start for about a week so everyone still training in Meteor Falls." She replied. "Matt from Kanto?"

"Mhmm." He replied with a nod.

"Good, then the two of you can compete in the second round of the IBF Tourney, good luck." She said to them.

"Wait, Nurse Joy. Has a boy named Blake registered yet?" Grace asked.

Nurse Joy directed her gaze at the second computer screen, typing in several commands before scrolling down a long screen.

"No, no one with that name has registered yet." Nurse Joy replied.

"Oh, well thanks anyway." Grace said, waving to her as she and Matt began to head toward the exit.

"Do you think something happened to him?" Matt asked, looking down at Grace.

"I hope not."

**9/11/0046/Evening**

**Meteor Falls**

'This is getting really annoying now.' Blake said as he sprinted through the dark tunnel with Quilava in front of him lighting the pathway, a mod of screeching Goldbat's at his back.

Just a few minutes ago their had been a weak quake through the cave that caused now damage, but it awakened a huge number of Goldbat's that had been sleeping. Believing Blake was the source of the disturbance, the Golbat's proceeded to chase him out of their territory.

Seeing a source of light at the end of the tunnel, Blake quickened his pace in hope that the Golbat's wouldn't follow him outside Meteor Falls.

'Wait a second, that light's coming toward me.' Blake said before he tripped over Quilava who had suddenly stopped. Hitting the rocky earth with a hard thud, Blake groaned before feeling the air above him have a drastic change in temperature. "Quilava?"

Blake looked back, seeing Quilava who was resting on its stomach while observing the scarlet flames that the Golbat's had disappeared inside of.

"Then who?" Blake said, looking back at the end of the tunnel where the flames were coming from before a blackened Golbat dropped down beside him, its eyes replaced with swirls. The entire group that had been pursuing Blake fell out of the flames one after another until the flames died down.

"Mag!" A deep voice roared from the end of the cave.

"Qui-lava." Quilava hissed, jumping over Blake to run down the remainder of the tunnel. Jumping to his feet, Blake followed Quilava out the tunnel where he finally saw daylight for the first time in four days. The first thing Blake did was cover his eyes since they needed some time to adjust to light.

"Magmortar!" The deep voice roared again.

"Quilava!" Blake could hear his Pokemon shouted.

"Hey, you better call off your Quilava unless you want us to give it a serious beating!" A voice hollered at Blake who was still rubbing his eyes. Blinking several times, Blake could make out the image of a teenage boy standing next to large fiery Pokemon.

The boy was just a little bit taller than Blake, with messy brown hair and uncombed bangs covering his forehead. He was creamy skinned, with dark red eyes. He wore a pair of black jeans, a pair of sneakers, a black sleeveless vest with a red border and a black jacket with short gray sleeves and a raised collar.

"What makes you think my Quilava's so weak?" Blake asked.

"I know its weak just by looking at it." He replied.

"Then how about we test your theory."

"Fine, but don't start crying when you lose."

"Trust me; I won't be the one who's crying when this is over."

"My name's Griffen, prepare to lose."

"Blake."

"Magmortar, give them your strongest Lava Plume!" He ordered, motioning for the large Pokemon beside him to attack. Raising its left arm, Magmortar took aim with its cannon like arm before firing a huge blast of scarlet flames.

'That spread it way to large.' Blake noted before looking at Quilava who ignited the flames on its head and bottom. "Quilava, use Lava Plume but focus your attack on the center of Magmortar's."

"Quilava!" The small Fire type shouted it fired a condensed stream of flames into Magmortar's wide spread attack. Blake smirked as the flames of Quilava's attack broke through Magmortar's, pushing toward the larger Fire type Pokemon.

"Magmortar, more power." Griffen said simply, receiving a nod from his partner Pokemon.

"Mag!" It roared as the flames it was firing from its left arm doubled in size, overpowering Quilava's focused attack.

'Wow that Magmortar has a lot of power stored up inside it.' Blake noted as Magmortar's attack surged toward Quilava even through the smaller Fire type was doing its best to hold back the attack. "Quilava, stop using Lava Plume and use a reverse Flame Wheel."

'Reverse Flame Wheel? This sounds interesting.' Griffen said with a growing smile, watching Quilava end its Lava Plume attack before performing a back flip while casing itself inside of a wheel of flames that were spinning in a counter clockwise direction.

Quilava disappeared into Magmortar's Lava Plume attack for a few moments making Griffen think the attack was nothing but a bluff.

"Enough Magmortar, I think you cooked it." Griffen stated, ordering Magmortar to halt its attack.

"Now Quilava!" Blake said as the flames began to clear. Quilava burst of the scarlet flames, its Flame Wheel attack now twice as large as it normally was with scarlet flames mixed into the orange flames mixed in.

Leaving a trail of flames behind it as it moved, Quilava raced toward Magmortar who wasn't prepared for the attack. Magmortar gasped as it was hit in the stomach, the force of the attack sending it sliding across the ground on its back.

"Whoa!" Griffen exclaimed as he jumped away from Quilava when the flames around it dispersed, revealing the heavily burned Pokemon.

'Boy, using a reverse Flame Wheel is still a double edged sword. We get a nice power boost and it can absorb the opponents Fire type attack.' Blake said mentally as he walked over to Quilava who was struggling to remain on its feet. 'But if the attack is too strong then when it's absorbed by Quilava it still damages it.'

"That's quite an attack you got there." Griffen commented as Blake kneeled down next to his Quilava, taking the Potion he had on his belt off to spray Quilava. "Hey, you can't heal your Pokemon, the battle isn't over."

"I think your Magmortar could beg to differ." Blake said, motioning to the Fire type Pokemon that hadn't moved since it took that large hit from Quilava.

"Wha…Magmortar!" Griffen exclaimed when he noticed the swirls replacing Magmortar's eyes.

"I thought your Magmortar would be a good opponent, but a one hit KO was unexpected." Blake said.

"That's because we've been training the entire day. Magmortar was exhausted to begin with." Griffen said, raising a Poke-ball to return his downed Magmortar. "Are you here for the IBF Tourney."

"Yep."

"Good, then I'll kick your ass the next time we battle so don't lose until you battle me." Griffen said, pointing at Blake before turning to head to the Pokemon Center.

Blake remained silent, watching Griffen leave before glancing down at Quilava who was struggling to remain on its feet even with the help of the Potion.

"You need some rest too." Blake said, taking out Quilava's Poke-ball to return it.

**Meteor Falls Battle Dome**

"What can I do for you?" Nurse Joy asked, giving Blake a smile which he failed to return, giving her nothing but a blank stare.

"I'm here to register for the IBF Tourney." Blake said.

"Alright, I'll need your Battle Circuit License." Blake silently passed her the card, watching her begin to type several commands into the system. "Blake from Johto?"

Blake gave her nod.

"Okay then, everything is set. Good luck in the second round of the IBF Tourney." She said, giving Blake a smile.

"And can you heal my Quilava?"

"Sure, just leaving its Poke-ball there and come back in about an hour." She said, watching Blake leave the spherical device on her desk.

"Thanks." Was all Blake said before he left the lobby, planning to continue training for the day since he still had sometime before the second round actually started.

* * *

><p>"Poliwrath, focus on blocking Gallade's attacks." Blake said, watching the WaterFighting type Pokemon spar with Gallade, doing its best to block out Gallade's incredibly precise offense.

"Shelgon, use Dragon Breath to your advantage and limit where Absol can move since it's faster than you." Blake said to the Dragon type Pokemon that was struggling to keep up with Absol's superior speed.

Blake watched as his four Pokemon engage each other in battle, using what they could to over power their opponent as fine tuning for the second round of the IBF Tourney.

"Swampert, get in there and use Brick Break!" A familiar voice called out as a large blue Pokemon burst out of the bushes, joining spars being held between Blake's Pokemon.

Blake sighed, watching the lone Swampert receive several attacks after startling Blake's team.

"Come on Blake, four on one isn't fair." Matt said as he climbed out of the bushes he and his Swampert had been hiding in. "It's good to see you made it in time for the second round. For a second I thought I may not get the privilege of knocking out in this round."

"Fat chance, I'd crush you if we met in battle." Blake said, glancing back at Matt who snorted.

"Beat me? We'll just have to see what happens when we battle Blake."

"So you better not loss until you battle me."

"The same applies to you."

The two looked at each other and smirked, Matt extending his hand that was closed into a fist. Blake looked at his hand for a moment before bumping fists with Matt.

"Come on Swampert, let's get back to our training." Matt called out to the Mud Fish Pokemon that was struggling against the combined effort of Blake's Gallade and Poliwrath.

"Swamp-pert." It said, retreating with Matt to avoid taking any more damage from Poliwrath and Gallade.

"Good job guys." Blake said, giving the two of them thumbs up before motioning for them to continue their training.

**9/18/0046/Morning**

**Meteor Falls Battle Dome**

Blake looked up at the grand crowd of over seventy thousand people that were crowded in the enormous, oval shaped Battle Dome. They were all cheering for the start of the second round of the IBF Tourney.

Blake was almost excited for the beginning of this since this part of the tournament was sure to have trainers that would give him a decent battle.

The competition between over forty thousand trainers across the world had dwindled down to the four hundred trainers that were now gathered with in one stadium, waiting to begin.

"Are you excited Blake?" Matt asked, nudging Blake with his elbow.

"Almost." Blake replied.

"Almost? That's all? You should be exploding with excitement."

"Well I'm not. I'm anxious." Blake said. "I want to battle someone right now."

"Hey look, here comes the Commissioner." Matt said, pointing to a short man that Blake thought he'd never see again. The old man that had pushed him off the top of Sky Pillar was now standing before Blake on top a platform as the Commissioner of the Hoenn Pokemon Committee.

"No." Blake said in a whisper, glaring at the man who made eye contact with him, giving Blake a smile.

"Hello all you Battle Circuit fans out there, welcome to the second round of the IBF Tourney!" Titus said, waving to the crowd. "Since I know all of you want to get straight to the battle, so here are the rules. The first day of the tournament will and eighteen hour survival test. You'll be taking six Pokmon into Meteor Falls for as many one on one battles as you can before all your Pokemon are eliminated. The trainers with the most wins at the end of the eighteen hours will move on to the next day. Trainers that are participating, you have forty minutes to retrieve one of the match recorders from Nurse Joy and then head to Meteor Falls. The match recorder will give the rest of the information you'll need to compete. Good luck!"

The crowd roared as the trainers in the stadium went into a frenzy, crowding the exits where a Nurse Joy was waiting to give them one of the small devices that was to be clipped onto their clothing.

After retrieving one of the match recorders, Blake pressed the small red button on the back of the device, activating it.

"Well come to the first day of the second round of the IBF Tourney. I will be guide during this competition and will lead you to the third round of this tournament provided you have the skills to make it." The electronic voice began. "My sensors indicate that you have not yet reached Meteor Falls, please go to that location."

Blake looked at the small device with a blank stare before clipping it to his belt.

'Time to kick some ass.' Blake said mentally as he cracked his knuckles.

**Meteor Falls**

"You are now located in Meteor Falls. You have four minutes before the timer begins so I suggest you select the Pokemon you're going to use." The match recorder said to Blake. "I will be recording every match you have and I will provide assistance in finding trainers to battle."

"Well isn't that handy." Blake noted as he continued to venture further into the cave.

"The first day of the second round of the IBF Tourney begins in four…three…two…one…begin!" The match recorder said for Blake.

"I challenge you." Blake heard that call from behind him. Turning around to face a female trainer that appeared to be in her late twenties, Blake accepted her challenge, releasing Quilava from its Poke-ball.

"Are you ready Quilava?" Blake asked, receiving a nod from his partner.

"Manectric, let's battle." The girl said as she released her Pokemon from its Poke-ball. "Start off with Thunder Wave!"

"Quilava, attack with Flame Wheel!" Blake ordered.

"Ma-nectric!" It said, releasing a burst of electricity into the floor of the cave that spread out in all directions.

Quilava raced toward Manectric, taking a small leap into the air where it curled up into a ball while encasing itself in flames. Hovering right of the electricity that was traveling through the ground, Quilava continued its path toward Manectric, hitting the Electric type Pokemon without a problem.

Manectric grunted from the attack as it was send sliding across the rocky floor.

"Quilava, get it with Lava Plume!"

"Manectric, use Charge Beam!"

Manectric howled as it gathered electricity into its mouth before firing it as one condensed beam toward Quilava who breathed out a cyclone of scarlet flames.

'The odds are against us for this one.' Blake noted as the beam of electricity began to push through the center of the cyclone, rushing straight for Quilava. "Quilava, cut off the Lava Plume and use the Pyro Quick Attack."

"Quilava!" It said, closing its mouth to end its Lava Plume attack before the air around it increased in temperature creating a dome of intense heat around Quilava.

Quilava burst forward, racing toward Manectric's Charge Beam attack, the dome of heat deflecting the electricity allowing Quilava to continue straight toward Manectric for a second time.

"Manectric, use Spark!"

Manectric ended its Charge Beam attack, building electricity throughout its body as it burst forward, racing toward Quilava.

The two of them met with flashy display of fire and electricity before Manectric was seen being sent flying backward toward its trainer. Quilava could be found standing where it had met and overpowered Manectric.

"Oh no, Manectric." The young woman exclaimed, looking down at her Pokemon that's eyes were replaced with a pair of swirls.

"Blake, one win." The electronic voice said suddenly, saying Blake's record out loud.

"Sasha. One loss." A second voice said, coming from the girl.

Sasha glanced up at Blake as she returned her Manectric to its Poke-ball before turning to leave, promising to beat Blake if they ever met again.

"That was good start Quilava, let's keep it going." Blake said as he returned the Fire type to its Poke-ball. "Where's the nearest trainer that's open for a match?"

"The nearest trainer is four hundred yards north." The match recorder said after a few moments.

"Nice."

* * *

><p>"Ludicolo, follow up with Drain Punch uppercut!" Matt shouted, performing an uppercut for Ludicolo.<p>

"Ludi!" The Water/Grass Pokemon said, landing a wide uppercut to Heracross' stomach with its glowing right hand.

"Heracross!" Its trainer exclaimed as the Bug/Fighting type Pokemon smirked, taking a small amount of damage from the punch since it had managed to put a two arm block in the attacks path just before it hit. "Awesome, get it with Megahorn!"

"Ludicolo, use Ice Beam right now!" Matt yelled seeing the danger in the approaching attack from Heracross.

Ludicolo opened its mouth, charging up a sphere of cyan colored energy in front its face where Heracross' horn was headed. Matt smiled as Heracross' horn hit Ludicolo's premature Ice Beam attack which shattered onto the Bug type's horn, freezing it.

"Hera-cross!" It cried out as it jumped away from Ludicolo.

"Ludicolo, get it with Hydro Pump!" Matt ordered, pointing at Heracross who was holding its horn.

Ludicolo opened its mouth, firing a powerful blast of water toward Heracross who was sent flying from the attack straight into the wall of the cave, a portion of the wall collapsing onto Heracross after impact which wiped out the rest of its health.

"Matt, six wins." Matt's match recorder called out.

"Awesome job Ludicolo!" Matt said, giving his partner a thumbs up which was returned by the Pokemon.

* * *

><p>"Arcanine, finish that Arbok with Heat Wave!" Grace said, telling her partner to finish off the heavily burned large snake that was struggling to remain up right.<p>

"Arbok, dodge it!"

Arcanine roared it breathed out red hot waves of heat that raced toward the snake Pokemon, engulfing it completely.

"Arbok!" Its trainer shouted, calling out to the snake who collapsed to the ground in heap.

"Bok." Arbok hissed out before its eyes became replaced with swirls ending the match.

"Alright, nice job Arcanine!" Grace said as her partner trotted over to her, nudging her with its nose.

"Grace, sixteen wins." Her match recorder called out, adding another win to Grace's record.

"Let's keep this win streak going Arcanine." Grace said, pointing out their next target.

**Meteor Falls Battle Dome**

Throughout the first day of the IBF Tourney, numerous critics from around the world would be providing live commentary on the matches taking place in Meteor Falls and pointing out anyone for the crowd to pay close attention too.

"Should I bother asking why Jeff is dressed like that?" One of the critiques asked, motioning to Jeff who was glaring at him, clothed in nothing but a poofy pink skirt.

"I'm glad you asked James. You see, Jeff made the mistake of betting on someone based solely on their record and you can see what happened." Donny explained. "He bet on the veteran that got floored by a rookie."

"Sucks for you Jeff." James said.

"Tell me about this rookie that 'floored' a vet." Another critic said.

"Well Franky, he goes by the name of Blake and just looking at his record, you'd say he'd be the first to get knocked out of the IBF Tourney." Donny explained.

"Let me see his record." James said, pulling up all the information about Blake that had been entered into the system using the small panel on the desk they were seated behind. "This kid is nothing more than a Rookie King with two extra matches. No wonder Jeff went against him."

"Finally, someone who agrees with me." Jeff mumbled out.

"Still, you should know better than to go against someone without researching them first." Franky said.

"But this kid's record said nothing but an over confident rookie that needed to learn his place in the Battle Circuit. I wouldn't expect him to have skills like what he's displayed so far in the Tourney." James noted.

"Me neither. His team isn't too shabby. Tyranitar, Quilava, Poliwrath, Gallade, Shelgon and an Absol. It's a decent team, kind of far from its full potential at the moment, but the way he battles makes up for it." Jeff added.

"So do you think you should expect anything from Blake?" Donny asked.

"I don't think so. The IBF Tourney will be nothing but veterans from here on out and Blake lacks experience. He could get far, but I think he'll lose at some point, probably if he battles one of the Regional Champs or anyone in the SSS-Class." Franky said.

"No, I think this kid could be the next Golden Flash. If you all have forgotten the Golden Flash entered the IBF Tourney in a similar situation that Blake was in and everyone said he'd lose at some point, but he never did. I think Blake can do the same." Donny reasoned.

"No, we all knew that guy was genius from beginning to end. I can't really tell what Blake is. There's potential to be something great, but calling him Golden Flash material is a bit much." Franky replied.

"Well let's see how things go for him in the rest of the IBF Tourney."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 30, complete. Not much happened this in this chapter, but the next one is sure to be loaded with good battles. Read, review and enjoy. :D<strong>


	31. Hoenn IBF Tourney Pt 2

Chapter 31

"Attention participants in the IBF Tourney, your eighteen hour time limit for the first day has come to end. Please report back to the stadium with in two hours." Blake's match recorder said, causing Blake to sigh as he dropped to the ground, taking this time to catch his breath.

"What's my record?" Blake said out loud, waiting for a reply from the match recorder.

"Blake, one hundred and fourteen wins, five losses."

At first the battles were no trouble at all for Blake, he was taking down trainers left and right with ease, racking up fifty wins within the first four hours. But starting there everyone seemed to withdraw into Meteor Falls, trying to hold onto the win streak they had made.

Blake was among the few who continued to battle out in the open, accepting every challenge that came to him. But taking on so many battles back fired on Blake when all the built up damage to Absol, Shelgon and Poliwrath caused all three to be knocked out one after another.

Starting there, Blake had to fight hard for each of his wins while making sure Gallade, Quilava and Tyranitar avoiding taking any unnecessary hits. Quilava and Gallade fell in battle eventually, leaving Blake to battle with Tyranitar alone. The duo barely made it to the time limit, but Blake was definitely satisfied with the record they had made for the first day.

**9/19/0046/Sunrise**

**Meteor Falls Battle Dome**

**Lobby**

"Mornin' Blake, how'd you do yesterday?" Matt asked, approaching Blake who was seated near the window of the lobby, observing the dark skies that were quickly beginning to brighten up.

"114 – 5." Blake replied without looking toward Matt.

"Argh, you beat me. 106-5." Matt said, snapping his fingers. "Oh yeah, did you look at the commentary yesterday?"

"No, why would I?"

"Well it's an easy to find out which trainers you should look out for in the competition. Anyway, they were talking about you last night!" Matt said, pointing at Blake who raised an eyebrow.

'Why would they be talking about me?' Blake asked himself, glancing at Matt who took a seat beside him. "What'd they say?"

"They keep calling you a rookie, but they do think you're talented and capable of lot with some more experience." Matt explained, shrinking all their arguments down to one sentence. "I even heard some of the veterans talking about you."

Blake looked around the lobby for the first time since he returned yesterday, taking note of all the older trainers that were chatting amongst themselves, occasionally looking and motioning toward him.

"This means you'll be considered a threat by everyone for the rest of the tournament Blake so I hope you're ready." Matt said.

**Stadium**

"Welcome back trainers, how was your time in Meteor Falls?" Titus asked with a smile, looking down at the crowd of trainers that were far more interested in seeing the results of the first day. "So let's see who's moving on the second day of the tournament."

Turning around, Titus raised one hand toward the enormous monitor that was mounted on the wall of the stadium that began to display the trainers that had moved on to the next day.

The first four trainers that appeared on the list were the four Regional Champs of the Battle Circuit, the four trainers that were predicted to lead in the IBF Tourney. All four had won over two hundred matches, and kept their losses below five.

The next trainer to appear on the list as number five was Griffen, who also succeeded in winning more than two hundred matches with five losses.

Number nine was Grace, who had won a hundred and eighty nine matches with four losses. Blake could hear the girl give a shout of joy for making it in the top ten.

After a short wait, Blake found his name next to number thirty nine, gaining a smirk from him.

Number fifty two was Matt, who threw his arms up in the air proudly when he saw his name before giving Blake a high five.

"And there you have it." Titus said as the last trainer appeared on the board. "The trainers that have advanced on will now see their match-ups for Day 2 of the IBF Tourney."

Titus pointed toward the board, watching the hundred faces on the board gather into a large stack before they were sorted, displaying the first set of match ups. Blake wasn't worried about his opponent; he was far more interested in keeping track of Griffen, Grace, Matt and the Regional Champions.

By the looks of it, if Blake won all his matches he wouldn't be facing off with any of the trainers he had marked, but that didn't mean none of his opponents wouldn't be worthy opponents.

"Alright trainers, are ready to begin?" Titus asked.

A chant started among the participants that eventually got the crowd going as well.

"Alright then, let's get this started with the first match of the day. These will be two on two battles so come in with your game face on and your best Pokemon out!" Titus shouted, directing all the trainers to leave the Stadium. "The first match will start in two hours so prepare yourselves."

"Let's do this!" Matt shouted as he followed Blake out the Stadium, entering the corridors where they found a room to rest in until the wait was over.

* * *

><p>"Can you believe the match ups for this year?" Donny exclaimed, getting several understanding nods from his fellow critics.<p>

"I know, if all four Regional Champ win all their second round match ups they'll all be in the third round together." Jeff explained. "This has never happened before. Normally during the second round the Regional Champs eliminate each other and then the remaining one normally goes on to win the whole thing."

"But this time it looks like all four of them will be competing with each other right down to the end." James said.

"And right on topic for tonight, which Regional Champ is the strongest."

"Personally I believe Malachi Summers from Hoenn is the strongest. I mean, just look at his performance as Regional Champ since he took the title. He's had a number of impressive matches with some strong opponents and he's demonstrated skills that could become world class." Franky explained.

"No, no. Meegan J from Johto. She's got a well rounded team, and a battling style that can allow her use almost any advantage that comes her way. It's rare to find a trainer that can battle and make the best of any situation." Jeff said, throwing in his two cents.

"What about Beck Langings from Kanto. He's pretty good with a full powerhouse team and that destructive style, anyone who battles him is sure for tough match." Donny said.

"But he's also incredibly reckless. The losses on his records are all results of bad decisions in battle."

"Still, the destructive force of his team makes him deadly even if he'd down to one Pokemon."

"Yeah, like the time he challenged Karson Moe, the Sinnoh Champ. He somehow turned around the match with just his Scizor. Beck is most definitely a dangerous trainer once he's backed into a corner."

"Karson Moe deserves some credit too considering he held his own against Beck in that battle. But to be honest, if Beck could remain calm during all his battles, he could easily become a World class trainer, maybe even a champion."

"Alright, alright. We can all agree that the Regional Champs this year are all amazing, but what's really surprising me is the number of trainers that can actually compete with the strength of these Regional Champs."

"Like uh, this girl Grace from Johto. Meegan J acknowledged her as a rival so she must be strong, and looking back at her round one matches she had nothing but one-sided, flashy matches where her opponent was completely under her control."

"There's also this guy. His name is Griffen and he's from Hoenn. It's unbelievable. If there's anyone in the tournament that could beat a Regional Champ, it's this guy. And the best part, we have some mystery with him since we haven't seen more than three of his Pokemon in battle in his entire Battle Circuit career."

"There's a few other trainers, but these two stand out the most at the moment."

"I'm sure we'll see a lot of great battle, but now I can't wait to see who makes it to the Top 16."

**9/19/0046/Noon**

**Stadium**

"Match 14 of Day 2 will now commence." The ref shouted, raising both of the flags he held into the air. "The battle between Blake of Johto and Kayla of Sinnoh will be a two on two battle. Trainers, Clash."

Blake had already checked out Kayla's profile to see what kind of challenge she might present to him. She was SS-Class trainer, with a record that was approaching one hundred matches which meant she had a ton of experience and a trap or two to use as an ace.

Selecting Poliwrath's Poke-ball, Blake waited for the signal from Kayla that she was ready as well. The two gave their Poke-balls a hard toss toward the center of the field, Blake's beginning to spin in a clockwise direction while Kayla's appeared to be what was a normal throw.

'Hmm?' Blake said, watching as the Poke-ball's neared each. Just before they met a circular pulse blew out in all directions from Kayla's Poke-ball. The two met in an explosion of sparks, Blake staring in awe as Poliwrath's Poke-ball was sent flying backward a considerable distance before it open, releasing Blake's now damaged Poliwrath.

On the other side of the field, Blake could see Kayla wearing a smirk as her unharmed Staraptor appeared on the field, giving a call of its name before glaring at its prey.

'Damn, this match up sucks.' Blake muttered mentally, glaring over the girl who only smiled in return.

"Whoa, we're already seeing some big moves already to start this battle." One of the announcers exclaimed. "If I'm correct that was a Power Ball Kayla just used right."

"Yep. At first this move was highly inaccurate because most trainers would give it a boost right after the ball left their hand, but to get ready of that weakness, trainers now use the boost just before the Poke-balls meet, and you can see the result of going against a Power Ball."

"Things aren't looking to good for Blake. After losing the Clash, his Poliwrath has the type disadvantage as well so I wonder if he'll be able to turn things around after such a bad start."

"Match begin!" The ref shouted as the crowd became silent.

"Staraptor, use Aerial Ace!" Kayla ordered, pointing toward Blake's bruise covered Poliwrath.

The bird squawked before taking flight, making a quick loop in the air as a wind tunnel formed around it.

"Poliwrath, counter with Ice Punch." Blake said quickly. Following Blake's command, Poliwrath raised its right hand which became surrounded in an icy wind before charging toward Staraptor.

"Po-li!" Poliwrath shouted as it drove its fist toward Staraptor, its fist meeting with the wind tunnel surrounding the bird. Blake smirked, watching Poliwrath knock Staraptor off course without taking any damage from the Aerial Ace attack.

Continuing past Poliwrath, Staraptor circled around it before rushing in a second a time, once again getting knocked away by Ice Punch.

'Alright, we've blocked off Aerial Ace so we shouldn't have to much to worry about.' Blake said, preparing to go on offense.

"Staraptor, use Brave Bird!" Kayla said, throwing another move into the mix.

"Star-raptor!" The bird cried out as it ascended high into the air, a blue aura enveloping its body. Coming to a halt way above the battle field, Staraptor spread its wings wide before diving bombing Poliwrath, the blue aura being replaced by flames.

'Brave Bird. If that hits Poliwrath this battle will be over and Poliwrath can barely move to begin.' Blake said mentally, making quick observations. "Poliwrath, get it with Water Pulse first, then keeping Ice Punch ready for a last second counter."

"Poliwrath!" It said, firing a large sphere of clear water at the approaching Staraptor, the orb of water successfully putting out the flames, leaving Staraptor vulnerable for Poliwrath's next attack.

"Staraptor!" The bird yelled, the a blue aura erupting around its body as it fell toward Poliwrath.

'What?' Blake exclaimed as Poliwrath threw its fist at Staraptor. There was an explosion, thick black smoke covering a small area on the left side of the field before Poliwrath came flying out of the smoke, landing on its back a few feet in front of Blake. "Poliwrath!"

The Water type Pokemon remained silent, a pair of swirls replacing it eyes.

"Poliwrath is unable to battle, Staraptor wins!" The ref shouted, raising the blue flag for Kayla who was more focused on checking her Staraptor who was still in the smoke that was slowly clearing away.

"Star." The bird Pokemon muttered as it stood on the ground, its wings folded. Several blue electrical sparks could be seen around Staraptor, the drawback of using Brave Bird not to mention Blake could see some ice shards piercing through its wings. This was his change to even the playing field.

"Match continue!" The ref said, motioning to Blake who returned Poliwrath to its Poke-ball before selecting his next Pokemon for the battle.

'Have to work quick.' Blake said, giving the Poke-ball a toss onto the field, releasing Quilava. The Fire type gave a small growl, igniting the flames on its head and bottom, the sign that it was ready to battle. "Quilava, start off with the Pyro Quick Attack!"

"Quilava!" It shouted, racing toward Staraptor who couldn't take flight at the moment. The red dome of heat formed around Quilava, leaving a streak behind it as it closed on Staraptor, landing a harsh hit to the bird Pokemon's body, burning a large portion of its feathers.

"Staraptor, get into the air!" Kayla shouted, motioning for the bird to fly.

"Don't let it get away, use Lava Plume!" Blake roared, Quilava opening its mouth to release the pool of scarlet flames on the bird that had spread its wings.

Staraptor disappeared inside the flames as Quilava held the attack for a few seconds. During this time Kayla could hear the squawks of her Pokemon that couldn't seem to escape the flames.

"That's enough Quilava." Blake said, ending Quilava's attack to reveal a burnt Staraptor resting on the ground, both its eyes replaced with swirls.

"Staraptor is unable to battle, Quilava is the winner." The ref said, raising Blake's flag this time.

Blake remained silent, watching Kayla return Starpator to its Poke-ball. Now Blake was at a real disadvantage. He was down to his last Pokemon and Kayla could now chose the Pokemon that would have an advantage over Quilava to make this an easy win.

'This could get bad.' Blake mumbled, preparing for the worst.

"Hippowdon, let's go!" Kayla said, releasing the large Pokemon onto the field.

"Hippowdon!" It roared, stamping its feet before observing Quilava who gave it a dark glare.

'Damn.' Blake said, tempted to say it out loud but he wasn't willing to break his composure.

"Match continue!" The ref said.

"Quilava, get it with Lava Plume!" Blake said quickly, pointing toward Hippowdon. Kayla watched as the small Fire type Pokemon unleashed a torrent of flames on her Hippowdon, but she wasn't worried. Hippowdon roared, whipping up a small sandstorm around itself that blew away the flames from Quilava.

Quilava cut off its attack, staring at the small sandstorm that had easily blew away its attack. Hippowdon roared again and the sandstorm disappeared, revealing the unharmed Pokemon.

"Good luck getting past Hippowdon's Sand Stream defense." Kayla called out to Blake who only glared at the Ground type Pokemon. "Now get them with Rock Tomb!"

Hippowdon began to stamp on the field with its two front feet before chunks of the earth rose from the ground, being flung at Quilava by an unseen force.

"Quilava, use Quick Attack to dodge them!" Blake ordered. Quilava jumped to its left, avoiding the first hit, a white streak trailing behind it as it raced around the field avoiding the Rock Tomb attack.

"More Hippowdon!" Kayla shouted. Hippowdon's stomping became more frequent as did the number of stones that was being launched at Quilava, Blake being forced to drop to the ground to avoid being hit by a stray rock.

"Look out Quilava!" Blake shouted, seeing his partner get caught in a tight spot where if it stopped moving it would get hit and if it continued moving it would get hit. Noticing the attack coming from its right, Quilava came to a skidding halt, barely avoiding it before it was hit from behind, sending it to the ground with a thud.

The rocks began to rain down on Quilava who grunted with each hit, trying not to get blown away. Seeing the damage beginning to pile up on Quilava, Blake was forced down to his trump card with Quilava.

"Quilava, use the Scarlet Shield!" He shouted for his partner who snorted before falling down onto all fours, the flames being produced by its body doubling in size.

Kayla took note of how fuzzy Quilava had become in her vision, but Hippowdon's attacks appeared to still be hitting Quilava. Blake smirked, having a better view of Quilava allowed him to see that that Scarlet Shield was doing its job blocking out Hippowdon's Rock Tomb.

"Now use the shield to transition into a Pyro Quick Attack!" Blake ordered. Quilava burst forward, racing toward Hippowdon who could barely make out the blurry image that was Quilava.

"Keep an eye on it Hippowdon!" Kayla shouted to her partner who grunted in response, trying to follow Quilava's now accelerated movements. The Fire type Pokemon raced to its left, quickly escaping Hippowdon's eye sight before attacking from its side, landing a hit to its stomach.

Hippowdon remained firm, striking up another sandstorm that send Quilava reeling, the Scarlet Shield protecting it from taking any damage, but Blake could clearly see the drawbacks for using the shield already. Quilava was panting and struggling to remain standing on all fours. The damage from the Rock Tomb and the stamina loss from using the Scarlet Shield was taking its toll already.

"Hippowdon, use Stone Edge this time and take it down!" Kayla said, becoming annoyed at how long Quilava was lasting against Hippodown despite the type disadvantage.

"Quilava, use the Pyro Quick Attack this time and make a straight charge for Hippowdon." Blake commanded as Hippowdon prepared its attack.

Instead of the usual brown chunks of the earth that Hippowdon had been using for Rock Tomb, some gray and black rocks rose up from the ground around Hippowdon in a circle, each of them being fired at Quilava.

"Quilava!" Blake shouted when the first rock from the Stone Edge attack hit passed right through Quilava's outer heat shield and hit the Fire type dead on, sending it skidding backward on its hind legs. The hit wasn't major, but if was enough for Blake to realize that blocking Stone Edge wasn't an option. "Dodge until the attack ends, then use Lava Plume."

Quilava was quick enough to get back in a groove to avoid the rest of the Stone Edge attack, but the Lava Plume was just another failure at trying to break through Hippowdon's Sand Stream.

"Alright Quilava, hold off for a bit." Blake said, ordering his partner to back away from Hippowdon.

"Use Rock Tomb again!" Kayla shouted, seeking to end the match now that Blake and Quilava appeared to be giving up.

"Dodge it Quilava!" Blake said, but before the Fire type could even move it found itself surrounded by floating rocks that then rushed in at it, closing up around Quilava. "Quilava."

Blake could tell if he couldn't think of something fast the match and his IBF Tourney would end here.

"Use the Scarlet Shield one more time!" Blake called to his trapped Pokemon that he could no longer see. There was a bright flash after a few moments which Blake guessed was Quilava attempting to defend itself, but then everything went quiet again. "Quilava, just use the Scarlet Shield!"

"Typhlosion !" A much deeper voice called out as the rocks were blow outward, revealing a very angry looking Typhlosion with the flames on its neck at least twice the size it normal should be, walking toward Hippowdon on its hind legs.

"No way." Blake exclaimed in a whisper. "It evolved."

"It evolved." Kayla said as well, a bit shocked at first before her composure returned as well. "But that doesn't matter, get with Stone Edge again Hippowdon!"

"Typhlosion , are you ready?" Blake asked the newly evolved Fire type who gave him a nod before roaring at Hippowdon, its flames growing in size momentarily. "Then start off with the Pyro Quick Attack to dodge and then attack."

Typholsion's speed wasn't as high as when it was a Quilava, but it enough to avoid the Stone Edge attack properly before diving in toward Hippowdon, landing a hit to its side once again, but this time Typhlosion released a large burst of heat as it came into contact with Hippowdon which sent the Pokemon sliding across the field on its side.

"Now use Lava Plume." Blake said, watching Typhlosion release a large blast of flames toward Hippowdon who once again blocked it out with its Sand Stream defense.

'Unless we get pass that defense this whole match will remain how it is right now.' Blake stated, looking a for a quick way to get through the Sand Stream. There was the direct approach which could possibly put a large amount of damage on Typhlosion , or to attack it from above and get inside the Sand Stream.

"Hippowdon, use Rock Tomb. Attack with everything you've got!" Kayla ordered, waiting to see how Blake would handle this one.

"Typhlosion , use Lava Plume and send all those rocks back at them." Blake said.

"Typho!" It roared, launching a large fire attack across the field which halted Hippowdon's Rock Tomb attack and sent it hurtling toward user.

"Hippowdon, use Sandstorm to knock away all the rocks and Lava Plume." Kayla ordered, using the move that Blake had been waiting for.

"Alright Typhlosion , use Lava Plume to get yourself up into the air over the Sand Storm. Then cut off the Lava Plume and use the Scarlet Shield!" Blake ordered, watching Typhlosion get started with the list he had given it.

Typhlosion was soaring high in the skies over the stadium in just a few moments, looking down at its target who was busy blocking out the attacks that had been redirected at it. Cutting off the Lava Plume to begin its descend, Typhlosion fell right down into the middle of the sand cyclone, heading straight toward Hippowdon.

Blake watched as Typhlosion disappeared inside of the Sandstorm that had picked up the Rock Tomb attack. As Typhlosion neared Hippowdon, Blake could see a bulge in the cyclone that traveled straight toward the bottom where a huge cloud of dust burst of the base of the cyclone.

The cyclone disappeared in an instant, revealing Typhlosion who was standing on top of a downed Hippowdon, looking up at the falling debris. Leaping off of Hippowdon's back, Typhlosion avoided the falling rocks, leaving all of them to fall on Hippowdon.

"Hippowdon!" Kayla shouted as her Pokemon disappeared under the pile of stones. After a few moments, the ref stepped onto the field to check on Hippowdon, finding its head sticking out of the pile with a pair of swirls replacing its eyes.

The ref came over to Hippowdon to inspect if before raising the red flag.

"Hippowdon is unable to battle, Blake and Typhlosion are the winner." The ref shouted as the stands erupted with cheers for Blake over his come back victory and for Typhlosion 's evolution during the battle.

"That was quite a match. I wasn't expecting him to turn it around at the end but he pulled it off." The announcers exclaimed.

"Blake will advance to Day 3 of the second round of the IBF Tourney."

Down in the stadium, Blake approached his partner on the field who wasn't standing too far from Hippowdon and Kayla who was checking her Pokemon.

"You're pretty good." Blake said, approaching Kayla who looked toward him.

"You're not to bad yourself." She replied, returning Hippowdon to its Poke-ball. After placing the Poke-ball back on her belt, Kayla noticed Blake's outstretched hand, waiting for a hand shake.

"Good match." He said as she accepted his handshake.

Once the two separated and turned to exit the stadium through the way they entered, Blake glanced at his Typhlosion that was walking beside him. Catching Blake's stare, it smirked, letting out a snort. Returning the smirk, Blake bumped fists with the Pokemon as they disappeared into the corridors of the stadium, leaving the fans that were chanting their names.

"Nice Typhlosion ."

**Changing Rooms**

"Wow, I can't believe your Quilava evolved during the battle!" Grace exclaimed, practically tackling Blake the moment he entered the room.

The room also had about ten other trainers that were nervously waiting for their match number to be called, and Grace parading over Blake's victory wasn't any help at all to their mood.

"That was a good battle Blake." A new voice said, gaining Blake attention. Seated in the corner of the room none other than Griffen, who had already won his match for the day.

"What do you want?" Blake asked.

"I just came to congratulate you on your victory and for the evolution of your Quilava." Griffen began. "I was hoping that little squirt would evolve so that it would be a better challenge for my Magmortar when we have our match."

"You know Griffen Blake?" Grace asked, receiving a nod from Blake. "You sure have gotten popular."

"How do you know Griffen?" Blake asked in return.

"All the strong trainers know each other. Duh." She said, receiving a glare from Blake.

"Grace from Johto. I can't wait to have a match with you." Griffen said as he rose from seat, walking across the room toward the window where everyone gave him confused glances as he climbed out the window.

"Are all the strong trainers' freaks?" Blake mumbled under his breath.

"Yup." Grace said, giving him a small grin. "Now come on, I met someone you should meet."

"Hmm?" Blake said as Grace led him out the room.

* * *

><p>After moving through the long maze of corridors, Grace and Blake came to a stop outside another changing room where a few trainers must've been waiting for their match number to be called.<p>

"His name is Roy, he's from Kanto I think." Grace said as they entered the room. "Anyway, you'll be surprised what you see."

As Blake followed her in, he was surprised to find a black and gray wolf suddenly jump at him, knocking him to floor where it began to sniff his face as if it were searching for something.

"Mightyena, don't do that to people!" A voice called out at the Pokemon who flinched before jumping off of Blake. Sitting up, Blake spotted the trainer of Mightyena who was currently scolding his Pokemon. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright." Blake said, accepting his hand to help him to his feet.

"Let's go." He said, leading Grace, Blake and his Mightyena back out into the hallway, shutting the door behind them. "So you're Blake right?"

Blake gave him a nod as a response.

"Well my name's Roy, I'm pleased to finally get to meet the King." Roy said, giving Blake a hand shake while Blake glanced at Grace.

"Does he have one too?" Blake asked plainly, receiving a nod from Grace before directing a glare at Roy as a greeting.

"Did I, do something wrong?" Roy asked, looking at Grace.

"He does that to everyone. Don't worry, he's not angry or anything." Grace explained with a chuckle.

"So what do you want?" Blake asked.

"Well I thought you might know more about a Crest than I do." Roy began before Blake interrupted him.

"Sorry, but I am just as clueless as you are. The only thing I'm sure about is that this thing," Blake motioned to his wrist where his Crest would normally appear. "Has me meeting a bunch of freaks on a daily basis."

"Blake, don't be such a downer. I'm sure something decent will come out of having a Crest soon." Grace said, attempting to comfort him.

"What's his problem, so far having a Crest has been pretty cool for me." Roy asked Grace.

"Well at first he wasn't exactly happy about us kidnapping him, and then since we got to Hoenn it's been nothing but trouble for him." Grace replied.

"Like what?"

"Well first there was that Absol that led him to Mt Pyre where Blake said the Hoenn Commissioner tried to drown him, and then while he was in Slateport City he and this family was attacked by a Dark Crest so…yeah." Grace said, taking a moment to breathe.

"Boy that does sound pretty stressful." Roy noted.

"Forget the stress, all this stuff is just getting in the way of my Battle Circuit conquest." Blake cut in.

"But Blake, I'm pretty sure our Crests are more important than the Battle Circuit." Roy said, trying to reason with Blake.

"If someone can prove to me that these things really do have some kind of importance, then I'll focus on it. But until then, if that time ever comes, the Battle Circuit is my first priority." Blake said, turning away from Grace and Roy, heading down the hall in search of one of the rooms where a Nurse Joy was stationed.

"He's normally nicer than that, but he's been training for the IBF Tourney for a couple of months so I guess that's his only focus right now." Grace explained for Roy who gave Blake one last skeptical look. "Plus, I know more about the Crests that Blake does and I'd be more than happy to explain anything you need to know."

* * *

><p>"Ludicolo, wrap it up with Ice Beam!" Matt shouted, pointing toward the Swellow that was beginning to take flight again.<p>

"Swellow, use Aerial Ace to dodge and then go in for the attack!" Swellow's trainer shouted. The bird began to ascend, narrowly avoiding the Ice Beam from Ludicolo before making a quick loop where a wind tunnel formed around it.

Swellow squawked as it raced toward Ludicolo who seemed unfazed by the approaching super effective hit.

"Ludicolo, use Hydro Pump and then follow up with Ice Beam!" Matt ordered.

"Ludi!" Ludicolo shouted before its voice became gargled by the powerful stream of water that was being ejected from its mouth.

Although the wind tunnel around Swellow blocked out the water, the speed it was moving at was halved by the power of the water pushing against it.

"Swellow, look out!" Its trainer shouted when Ludicolo transitioned to the Ice Beam, freezing the stream of water straight to Swellow, the bird becoming captured in a block of ice.

"Now end it with Drain Punch!" Matt said, giving Ludicolo the order that should put this battle to an end.

Ludicolo took off in a slow run around the frozen water to Swellow who was stuck in the ice. Once its right hand gained a whitish glow, Ludicolo drove it into the ice, easily breaking through it and landing a harsh blow to Swellow's torso.

"Swellow!" The bird cried out as it was forcefully pushed out the other side of the ice block it had been trapped in. Landing on the field with a thud, Swellow's eyes became replaced with black swirls, signaling the end of the battle.

"Swellow is unable to battle!" The ref said after a short check. "Matt and Ludicolo are the winners!"

"Alright!" Matt shouted, joining his Ludicolo on the field where the two of them proceeded to perform their victory dance. 'How do you like that Blake? I pulled off a win with a disadvantage too.'

After seeing Blake pull off a win over a Hippowdon with his Typhlosion , Matt had decided to compete with Blake in other ways until the two of them actually met in battle, and right now, that meant trying to win their battles in a display strength and power that outshined the other.

**9/20/0046/Morning**

**Stadium**

The whole gang had advanced to Day 3 without any problems. Roy proved to a trainer that was worthy of Blake's attention when his Mightyena easily defeated both of his opponents Pokemon without breaking a sweat.

Grace had battled and won like it was any other day, not receiving much attention from Blake who was far more focused on the two trainers he had come to recognize as serious threats.

The first and foremost was Griffen. Although he was ranked beneath the Regional Champs, Blake believed Griffen was far stronger than any of them. His style was direct and powerful, and explosive. The three Pokemon Griffen had revealed so far, a Magmortar, a Cacturne and a Flygon, were all powerful and capable of following the somewhat strange orders Griffen would occasionally give.

The second one was Beck Langings from Kanto. He was a reckless, brash and destructive. His whole style emphasized power and nothing more. He had no strategy when battling, he'd simply launch his Pokemon in danger and rely solely on the strength they possess. Blake believed Beck's style was ideal, if only he took some time to think before giving his Pokemon orders.

The other two Regional Champs, Karson Moe and Malichi Summers, were worthy of Blake's respect as well, but neither of their battling styles truly interested him.

The remainder of the IBF Tourney was sure to be interesting, and Blake couldn't wait to face off against all the strong trainers that continued to appear as his travels continued.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 31. Blake continues his IBF conquest, claiming another victory in the tournament that puts him one step closer to the IBF Title. So what did you thinks of Blake's match up. Was it overrated, having Quilava struggle so much and then evolve? Tell me what you think.<strong>


	32. To the Sinnoh Region

Chapter 32

**9/22/0046/Morning**

**Meteor Falls Battle Dome**

**Stadium**

"If you're just tuning in folks, the last match of the second round of the IBF Tourney is coming to a close. Grace from Johto holds the lead over Jordan, having knocked out two of her three Pokemon already while she has only lost one." The announcer explained.

"Arcanine, use Flame Thrower!" Grace shouted. Arcanine opened its mouth, releasing a large stream of flames that was directed at Grumpig.

"Grumpig, dodge it!" Jordan shouted, but the flames were too quick. Grumpig was caught in the attack roasted for at least thirty seconds before Arcanine ended its attack, revealing a slightly charred Grumpig who was otherwise fine. "Good, you're alright."

'Grr, that defense is so annoying!' Grace said mentally. "Now use Heat Wave!"

Arcanine opened its mouth, releasing a crimson red wind that raced toward the damaged Grumpig.

"Grumpig, use Light Screen!" Jordan shouted, watching Grumpig put its two hands up, a clear wall of light forming in front of it to block out the Heat Wave attack.

'Light Screen.' Grace said, identifying the defensive move when it blocked out the Heat Wave. "Arcanine, use Thunder Fang!"

"Ra!" It shouted, racing toward Grumpig who couldn't see through the blurry area created by Heat Wave.

Harmlessly passing through the Light Screen, Grumpig gasped when Arcanine suddenly appeared in front of it, barring its fangs that possessed an electrical charge. Sinking its teeth into the Psychic type Pokemon, Arcanine ripped from the ground and shook it wildly as Grumpig was zapped from the electricity. Squealing as it was shocked for a solid fifteen seconds, Arcanine ended its attack before tossing Grumpig to the side, waiting to see if it could still continue.

Tumbling across the field, Grumpig came to a stop several yards from Arcanine, its eyes becoming replaced with black swirls.

"Grumpig is unable to battle. Arcanine is the winner. The winner of the match is Grace from Johto!" The ref declared after checking Grumpig. The crowd began to chant Grace's name for her victory as the girl was quickly approached by two reporters.

"Grace, Grace!" They shouted, getting her attention. "Can we get a quick interview?"

"Sure, I can't see why not." Grace said into the microphone which silence the crowd.

"So what would you say contributed to your one-sided victory in today's match?"

"I'd have to say that all the hype have me and my Pokemon in sync more than ever. We battle as if we were one person and I'd have to say that made the battle so easy for us." Grace replied.

"And how do you feel now that you're in the Top 16 of the IBF Tourney?"

"Well all I can see is that I'm really happy I made it this far. But now that I've come this far, I know for a fact that the rest of my opponents will be the strongest I've faced."

"What do you think of the other trainers who are in the Top 16?"

"Well I have a score to settle with Meegan J so she's the first priority on my list. After than I still have to watch out for the other Regional Champs as well as my brother Blake since they already took their spots in the Top 16."

"Well we wish you the best of luck in the third round of the IBF Tourney, and I'm sure your fans hope that you keep this winning streak going."

"Thank you." Grace said, giving the camera a smile with a peace sign.

"And cut." The cameraman said, giving them the signal that they've gone to commercial. "We have about ten minutes before we come back."

"Thank you for the interview Grace." The reporter said before waving to the Commissioner that was waiting by the entrance of the Stadium.

* * *

><p>"And now for today's next match. Matt vs Mary!" The announcer shouted, the crowd cheering for the two as they entered their box, waiting for the battle to begin. "These two trainers are battling for the eleventh spot of the Top 16."<p>

"Trainers, are you ready?" The ref asked, receiving a nod from the two of them. "Clash!"

Matt and Mary looked toward each other, removing a Poke-ball from their belt which then tossed onto the field. Both trainers used a Spin Counter, resulting in quite a showy display before their Pokemon appeared on the field, Matt's Swampert on the left side while Mary's Armaldo roared, both of them possessing quite a few bruises from the Clash.

"Battle begin!" The ref shouted.

"Swampert, get it with Hydro Pump!" Matt shouted, initiating the battle.

"Armaldo use Protect!" Mary said quickly as Swampert ejected water from its mouth like a cannon toward Armaldo. The water crossed the field quickly, closing in on Armaldo, but as it crashed into the Rock/Bug type Pokemon, the water was blocked out a shield of bluish green light.

"Grr, Swampert follow up with Earth Power!"

"Armaldo, use Protect again." Once again a shield of bluish green light blocked out Swampert's attack, leaving Armaldo unharmed. "Now attack with Ancient Power!"

"Mal-do!" It roared as its body gained a whitish glow. Several pieces of earth rose up from the ground that that were then hurled at Swampert."

"Swampert, get rid of those with Brick Break, then go in for an attack." Matt ordered, getting a nod from his Pokemon before Swampert raced toward the approaching attack.

Smashing its way through the horde of approaching stones with just the use of its forearms, Swampert dove in at Armaldo, launching several chops on Armaldo's armor.

"Armaldo, fight back with Fury Cutter!" Mary shouted.

"Keep going Swampert!"

At the first the two Pokemon continued to dodge the others attack, but at some point it became an all or nothing slugfest between the two where they traded hits at a fast past.

"Stay strong!" The two trainers shouted as their Pokemon gave it their all.

"Swamp!" Swampert ducked below a wide horizontal strike from Armaldo before smashing its fist into the Pokemon's armor, forcing Armaldo to hunch over.

Taking this opportunity, Swampert straightened up to land a proper chop to Armaldo's back, but before it could attack, Armaldo jumped forward, burying its head in Swampert's stomach which it sent the Water/Ground type stumbling backward.

"Go Armaldo!" Mary shouted, hoping that the effects of Fury Cutter had taken affect.

Armaldo charged at Swampert, landing a dual slash on its stomach which sent Swampert to the ground with a thud, its eyes replaced with swirls.

'Ugh, that Fury Cutter really did some damage.' Matt said, remembering that Fury Cutter's power increases every time it hits.

"Swampert is unable to battle, Armaldo is the winner." The ref declared as Matt returned Swampert to its Poke-ball. "Match continue."

"Hariyama, let's go!" Matt shouted, releasing his second choice.

"Hari!" It said, stomping twice which shook the field slightly.

"Armaldo, start with Ancient Power!"

"Hariyama, block those out with Arm Thrust and then attack." Matt said, using the same strategy to bypass the attack.

Racing through the attack, Hariyama landed several blows to Armaldo's armor, forcefully pushing it backward.

"Armaldo, used Fury Cutter."

"Watch out Hariyama. Block it with Stone Edge!" Matt commanded. Hariyama jumped back at bit, forcing Armaldo to chase after it, but as it landed on the ground, several silver color stones rose up from the ground in Armaldo's path. Using Fury Cutter on one of the stones in its path, Armaldo cried out when the stone shattered, its claw cracking at the same time. "Ice Punch!"

"Armaldo, move!" Mary shouted, but Hariyama was quick in landing its attack, sending Armaldo sliding across the field on its back.

"Armaldo is unable to battle!" The ref said after checking Armaldo who remained still after Hariyama had landed that super effective hit. "Match continue."

"Darn!" Mary said out loud, raising her Poke-ball to return Armaldo. "Jynx, let's win this!"

Tossing a second Poke-ball onto the field, releasing a purple skinned Pokemon that slightly resembled a woman.

"Jynx, use Blizzard!" Mary shouted, motioning for her Pokemon to attack. Jynx unleashed a vicious icy wind toward Hariyama.

"Bulk up!" Matt said, watching his large Fighting type Pokemon stomp both its feet, gaining a whitish glow before it put both its hands out in front of itself to block out most of the wind. "Now go in with Force Palm."

Waiting for a few moments, Hariyama waited for the attack to die down a bit before charge toward Jynx, its right hand beginning to spark with electricity before it slapped Jynx with it. Although, with the size of its hand, Hariyama had hit Jynx's entire body and sent it flying to its right.

"Attack with Stone Edge!" Matt said, hoping to land a second super effective hit while Jynx was still recovering from the last hit.

"Hari!" It shouted, stomping the ground several times, summoning about two dozen silver stones from beneath the earth which it fired at Jynx who was now returning to his feet.

"Jynx, stop it with Psychic!" Mary shouted, the order reaching Jynx in time so that it could react in time to the oncoming Stone Edge. When both its eyes became a dark blue, all of the rocks in the Stone Edge attack froze in mid air, gaining a blue outline as well. "Send them back!"

"Hariyama, block them with Arm Thrust!" Matt said quickly. As the stones were hurled back at Hariyama, the Fighting type Pokemon rushed in toward its attack, putting out both its hands which it used to obliterate the rocks and clear a path for it to attack Jynx. Beating away at the Psychic/Ice type, Hariyama finished it off with a brutal uppercut which sent it flying into the air a good twenty feet before it landed on the field with a hard thud.

"Jynx!" Mary shouted as the ref moved over to the Pokemon to perform a quick check.

"Jynx is unable to battle!" The ref said. "Match continue."

"He's really good. I was hoping to beat his Hariyama with a Psychic type attack, but he took advantage of Jynx being part Ice." Mary said to herself, returning Jynx to its Poke-ball. "Gastrodon, I betting everything on you."

Mary released her third and final Pokemon onto the field, watching the blue slug Pokemon looking around for a bit before acknowledging its opponent.

'This isn't good. Blocking that Stone Edge attack wasn't my best idea.' Matt said, taking note of the large number of bruises on both of Hariyama's hands that had been caused by the Stone Edge attack Hariyama was blocked out with its hands. "Let's make this quick! Hariyama, use Force Palm!"

"Yama!" It roared, rushing toward Gastrodon.

"Gastrodon, keep it away with Water Pulse." Mary said. Gastrodon opened its mouth, releasing a power jet of water toward Hariyama, which it was forced to block using its large hands, but the Fighting type Pokemon roared with pain after blocking the attack. "While its open, get it with Body Slam!"

"Gastrodon!" It said, releasing a blast of water form its mouth to push itself into the air. Now in the air, Gastrodon began its decent toward Hariyama with increasing velocity. Landing on Hariyama's torso with a hard slam, Hariyama was forced to the ground.

"Get it with a close range Mud Bomb!" Mary said, watching her Pokemon open up its mouth where it proceeded to hurl a condensed orb of mud at Hariyama's face, wiping out the rest of the Pokemon's health.

Jumping off of Hariyama so that the ref could check the Pokemon, Gastrodon was declared the winner.

"Match continue." The ref shouted, motioning for Matt to bring his last Pokemon.

"Ludicolo. Let's shake things up!" Matt said, sending his partner into the battle.

"Ludi-colo, Ludi-colo!" It said happily, bouncing on one foot.

"Gastrodon, use Mud Bomb!"

"Freeze it with Ice Beam Ludicolo!"

The orb of hardened mud that was fired at Ludicolo was quickly froze solid but the intersecting beams of light from Ludicolo, making it an easy catch for Ludicolo since the ball wouldn't explode on impact.

"Now toss it back!" Matt ordered, Ludicolo giving it a hard toss toward Gastrodon who barely managed to evade the return attack. "Use Razor Leaf!"

"Dodge it Gastrodon!" Mary said before she got to see just how wide spread the attack. Gastrodon had now where to go to avoid the attack, so it took multiple hits all over its body before the rain ended.

"End it with Drain Punch!" Matt said. Ludicolo made a bee-line toward Gastrodon, preparing to smash its glowing fist into the body of the Water/Ground type Pokemon, but just as it's dropped its fist on the downed Pokemon, Gastrodon's body seemed to bend out of the attacks path.

"Use Sludge Bomb!" Mary said as Gastrodon escaped the finishing Drain Punch to launch an orb of purple slime at Ludicolo who was no more than a foot away from it.

"Ludicolo!" Matt shouted as his partner was sent flying backward, taking massive damage from the hit.

"Gastrodon, don't let up, use Body Slam while it's down." Mary said.

"Ga!" Her Pokemon said, pushing itself into the air once more using a blast of water before beginning to drop toward Ludicolo who was resting on its back, a bit dazed.

"Ludicolo, double Drain Punch, just put your hands out!" Matt said as Gastrodon closed in on Ludicolo. There was a loud bang, a small shockwave going out on all sides from the Gastrondon's impact with Ludicolo.

"Ludi!" It said, looking up at Gastrodon who had come to a complete halt when it crashed on to Ludicolo's fists that were coated with white energy. Gastrodon fell off of Ludicolo, hitting the rocky field with a light thud before the ref ran over to check.

"Gastrodon is unable to battle, the winner is Ludicolo and Matt!" The ref declared, causing the crowd to erupt with cheers for him.

Both trainers rushed onto the field to their respective Pokemon.

"Ludicolo, how are you feeling." Matt asked, helping his Pokemon to its feet, allowing it to lean onto him for support.

"Ludi-colo!" It said happily, rising one arm in victory.

"Argh, we lost fair and square." Mary said as she returned Gastrodon to its Poke-ball. "You had better win the whole thing since you beat me."

"That's what I plan to do." Matt declared.

* * *

><p>"Congratulations trainers on making it this far in the IBF Tourney. Now that the Top 16 trainers have been determined, we can see who will be facing who on the first day of Round 3 of the IBF Tourney." Titus said, motioning to the huge screen mounted on the stadium wall.<p>

Sixteen faces appeared on the screen, each of them being one of the sixteen trainers that had come this far in the tournament. The faces were then shuffled around the board for a few moments before they were separated in pairs which would be the eight match ups for the first day.

Matt's eyes became wide at his luck of the draw. His opponent would be a dark skinned male with low haircut, a pair of dark aviator glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. This was none other than Karson Moe, the Sinnoh Champion of the Battle Circuit.

Blake was paired up against an SS-Class trainer from the Kanto Region. Grace was matched up with a SSS-Class from Sinnoh. Roy would be facing off with a SSS-Class trainer from Sinnoh, and Griffen would be battling the Malichi Summers, the Hoenn Champion of the Battle Circuit.

All four Regional Champions had made it to the Top 16, along with several competitors that many were hoping would somehow pull off a miracle win against one of the Champs. Roy, Grace and Griffen were among the group that was expected to do something like this. The rest of the trainers, including Blake and Matt, were nothing but underdogs that many fans were rooting for, but no one actually believed that they could pull off a win over a Regional Champ.

"Alright trainers, now you'll be headed for the Battle Dome on top Mt Corenet in the Sinnoh Region. That will the final stage to determine who will be the number one contender for the IBF Title. You have a month and half to reach that location." Titus said before giving the camera a wide smile. "Good luck!"

* * *

><p>"Yo Matt, are you ready to go?" Blake asked, barging into the changing room where he found Matt seated by himself. "Are you alright?"<p>

"Why wouldn't everything be okay?" Matt asked in return, trying to stop his leg from shaking.

"You're not nervous about your next match, are you?" Blake asked, raising an eye brow at how tense Matt's muscles were.

"Why would I be nervous?"

"Because your next match is against a Regional Champ, one of the strongest trainers in the Battle Circuit."

Matt seemed to relax suddenly.

"No, I'm not nervous." Matt said. "I'm excited."

Matt paused, taking deep breath as he rose from his seat.

"I'm excited because this is my chance to show the entire world how strong I really am." Matt said, closing both his hands into tight fists. "Now I can show you how strong I really am Blake."

"Good, because after that, is our match." Blake said, pulling out to match sheet to show Matt that if the two of them were to win their next match, they'd finally get to battle each other. "And I'll show you just how real my strength is too."

"I can't wait for that." Matt said, giving Blake a small smile which was returned with a smirk.

* * *

><p>"I see that you made it to the Top 16 Grace."<p>

"It's good to see you made it as well Meegan."

The two females stood alone in an empty corridor, giving each other a blank stare.

"So now we'll finally get to settle our battle from back in Kanto." Grace said, putting on a small smile.

"I hope you're ready to get crushed."

"Me?" Grace asked, pointing to herself. "I always thought I'd be the one who's doing the crushing."

"I've spent the past three years training up a team that can't loss, there's no way you can beat us as we are now." Meegan said confidently.

"That doesn't mean I haven't gotten any stronger."

"I know, I've seen how much you've grown, and I'll acknowledge that, but I still believe you can be beaten."

"Well we'll see about that. If both of us win our first match, we'll finally get to see who's stronger." Grace said.

"I'll see you in Sinnoh. Good luck."

"Likewise."

* * *

><p>Griffen stood alone of the roof of the Battle Dome in a small section that was normally used as a fire escape. He sighed, quite loudly before looking at the match listing for the Round 3.<p>

On his side of the brackets was Beck Langings, Malichi Summers and Roy, but Griffen had no interest in any of those trainers. The people he wanted to battle were all on the other side of the brackets, meaning he would only get to battle one of them.

"Grace or Blake? Which one of them will I get to battle?" Griffen asked himself out loud.

**9/23/0046/Afternoon**

**Sinnoh Region**

**Hearthome City**

One of the cities in the Sinnoh Region that was on the larger scale, matching cities such as Goldrenrod and Saffron City in size. The heights of its buildings were great, and the city was home to many land marks, such as one of the largest Battle Domes in the region as well as the only Contest Hall in the region.

"Mari!" A heavy shouted from behind caused the girl to jump, making a quick turn to find out who had called to her.

"No way, Robbie, what are you doing here?" She asked, recognizing the boy.

"I've been in Sinnoh for a while now. Trying to raise my rankings." Robbie replied casually. "Why are you here?"

"Well I'm supposed to meet with someone on Mt Corenet from in about a month, but for now I've been doing the same." She said.

"What Class are you in now?" Robbie asked.

"Upper A-Class." She responded with a proud smile.

"Same here." Robbie replied. "Wonder where Blake is?"

"Didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"Blake made it to the Top 16 in the IBF Tourney." Mari explained.

"What? You can't be serious!"

"I'm not joking."

"That's insane!" Robbie exclaimed. "I knew he was good, but Top 16 in the IBF. I never thought he'd be that strong."

Despite the two young trainers being located in a densely populated city, a dark figure stood alone on the roof tops, keeping a close eye on Mari.

"Target sighted." Alan mumbled to himself before noticing an odd energy radiating from Robbie as well. "Wait a second…that couldn't bee the…? It is the Mystic Water."

Alan smirked as he opened up his Crest.

"I guess I can kill two birds with one stone and get this back to the Commissioner." He said before wavering out of existence.

"Hey Mari, let's have a battle and see how much strong we've gotten." Robbie said, receiving a nod from the girl.

* * *

><p>Near the outskirts of the city, the duo stood in a large clearing, a good distance in between them as they both selected two Poke-balls from the ones attached to their belt.<p>

"This is a double battle, winner takes all!" Robbie shouted. "Come on out guys!"

Releasing two of the latest additions to his team, a Roserade and a Luxray appeared in the clearing. Roserade stood idly, looking around at its surroundings while Luxray yawned before flopping down on the grass.

"Luxray, don't nap, we're about to start a battle!" Robbie shouted at his Pokemon instantly perked up at the thought of a battle.

"A double battle? Alright then, Altaria, Espeon, come on out!" Mari said, calling her two Pokemon out of their Poke-balls.

The two Pokemon took a brief look around before noticing Roserade and Luxray. The Electric type Pokemon growled at Mari's Pokemon, establishing the fact that it was enemy.

"I'll start!" Mari declared suddenly. "Espeon , get them with Signal Beam! Altaria, use Dragon Pulse!"

Mari's Pokemon gave a quick shout before firing off their two attacks, a dark yellow beam of light traveling in the middle of a purple cyclone that raced toward Luxray and Roserade.

"Dodge it guys!" Robbie shouted, watching the two of them leap out of the way. "Luxray, use Discharge!"

"Lux!" It said as its mane began to crackle with electricity which was then fired at Altaria and Espeon.

"Espeon, get on Altaria's back, then take off!" Mari said quickly, watching Espeon jump onto Altaria before it spread its wings, taking flight into the air, barely avoiding the electricity.

"Roserade, get them with Shadow Ball!" Robbie shouted.

"Espeon, keep it away with Signal Beam!" Mari countered. The Bug type move easily deflected away the Shadow Ball attack from Roserade.

The battle continued with Espeon and Altaria attacking from the air at a height where Luxray and Roserade struggled to land any attacks, while Mari's Pokemon had no trouble landing attacks on Robbie's.

Watching the two teenager's battle from a distance, Alan rested against one of the tree trunks, waiting for the proper moment to attack the two of them to seize the items they held.

Initially he was wondering how he was going to get them while they were in the densely populated city, but luckily they had come out to the border of the city for a battle making this and easy picking for him. It didn't take long for Alan to decide on a moment to attack, beginning to move when the two trainers decided to take a quick break.

'I can't call out Latios, so I have to make this quick.' Alan said as he burst of the bushes, rushing toward Mari who had her back turned toward him.

"Hey, what you doing!" Robbie shouted when he saw Alan burst of the think brush surrounding them. Mari glanced over her shoulder to see who Robbie was shouting at, but as she turned, she found a large hand palming her entire head.

Mari let out a yelp as Alan threw her to the ground head first, but before he could continue his assault on the girl, he found both her Pokemon in his path, unleashing a Dragon Pulse and Shadow Ball on him. Crossing both his arms in front of him while opening his Crest, Alan blocked out the two attacks without taking any damage himself, but his cloak could beg to differ.

"Luxray, get him with Thunder Fang!" Robbie said, coming to the conclusion that Alan was definitely an enemy that was out to get Mari.

"Lux-ray!" It said, lunging at Alan where it tackled him to the ground before sinking its teeth into his forearm which he had used to keep its head away from him. Running the electrical current into Alan, the man yelled out in pain before glaring at Luxray.

"Eat this you lousy Pokemon!" Alan said as he drilled his fist into its torso, a circular purple pulse exiting its body which halted Luxray's attack.

Luxray collapsed onto Alan with a groan, its eyes being replaced with black swirls. Throwing the Electric type Pokemon off of him, Alan glanced at Robbie and Mari who were staring at him with wide eyes.

"Altaria!" The bird Pokemon shouted as it swooped down at Alan, but before it could even attack, Alan unleashed a purple shockwave at it which sent Altaria reeling from it. Alan smirked when the bird crashed into a tree trunk, all its health being taken out from the one hit.

"W-What are you?" Robbie asked out loud, pointing toward Alan who glanced at them.

"Give me the Magnet and Mystic Water." Alan said, throwing off his cloak since he no longer needed to keep himself hidden.

"The what?" Robbie said, giving Alan a confused look.

'The Magnet…he must be one of the bad guys Roy was talking about.' Mari said mentally, observing Alan was dressed in a black jumpsuit with a two belts around his torso and another one around his waist. "Why should we?"

"Because…" Alan began as he walked over to one of the tree trunks. Raising his right hand, Alan landed a diagonal chop to the base of the tree, breaking the bark before pushing the tree to the ground where it crashed with a loud boom. "I can kill you."

Both Mari and Robbie gulped loudly, seeing that Alan could easily do that job with just his bare hands.

"But I don't have a Mystic Water." Robbie said.

"Yes you do, its around your neck." Alan said, pointing the necklace Robbie wore. Taking look at the necklace, Robbie had always thought it was kind of strange, but at the same time that appealed to the boy, not to mention it was gift from Ricky, so he had kept a tight hold on it since he had gotten it.

"Robbie, we can't give these to him." Mari whispered to him.

"Are you kidding me? Did you see what he did to that tree, he can freakin' kill us." Robbie whispered back to her.

"I know that, but these items we have are special. We have to hold on to them." Mari said. "I'll fill you in later, just attack on three with me and then we'll run."

Robbie remained silent for a moment before nodding to her.

"Espeon, use Iron Tail!"

"Roserade, use Leaf Blade!"

The two Pokemon raced toward Alan who groaned, realizing he would have to do this the hard way. Igniting a purple aura around both his hands, Alan charged toward the approaching Pokemon, side stepping Roserade's first thrust attack before swiping his hand at its stomach, the purple aura passing through Roserade's body.

Roserade's eyes became wide before it crashed to the ground, out cold. Continuing forward toward Espeon who leaped at him to launch a downward attack with its tail, Alan side stepped the attack once again while landing a swipe to Espeon's stomach, knocking it out with one hit before advancing toward Mari and Robbie.

Both of them were completely astonished to see both their Pokemon get knocked out with such ease, not by another Pokemon, but by a human. Before either of them could make a run for it, Robbie found a sharp, piercing pain coming from his stomach before his entire body went numb. Alan pulled away from the boy as he dropped to the ground before turning to Mari, landing a hard kick to her side.

Mari yelled out in pain as she slid across the grass on her back, but when she came to a stop, she found Alan looming over. The man gave her a blank stare as he raised his hand before jabbing her in the throat. The last thing she heard was a high pitched noise before everything went black.

"Annoying kids." Alan muttered as he removed the Mystic Water from Robbie's neck, having already collected the Magnet from Mari's backpack. "At least I'll finally have _him_ of my back."

**9/26/0046/Night**

**Johto Region**

**Ilex Forest**

"Are you happy?" Alan asked as he tossed the Magnet and Mystic Water into the Ilex Forest Shrine. Behind him stood the Commissioner of the Kanto-Johto Committee standing, cackling to himself.

"Yes, I'm very pleased with the how far we've progressed." He replied softly.

"So what happens now?"

"We wait."

"Hmm?"

Stepping back the Shrine, Alan watched as both of the Bells hanging on the sides of the wooden structure gained a brilliant glow, soft jingle being produced by the two of them.

"What's happening?" Alan asked, looking toward the Commissioner.

"The Equalizers are soaking in the powers of Lugia, Ho-oh and Celebi." The Commissioner explained.

"And what about the Tanoby Keystone Operation?"

"This is it. I still have to travel to the Ruins of Alph before the operation will truly be complete. But this is indeed the Tanoby Keystone Operation."

"This thing?" Alan said, pointing to the Shrine. "All that work for that junk?"

"It won't be junk when its complete." The Commissioner muttered. "Once it's complete, I will have power that can compete with that of a Legendary Pokemon. And I Lexer, will have the ability to take the King's Crest!"

"So can I go now, I have some business to take care of." Alan said.

"Not yet, I have one question for you?" Lexer said, halting Alan who had preparing to leave.

"What is it?"

"I'd like to know why there was a sighting of two Abyss Pokemon in Olivine City."

"What?" Alan made a one eighty on his heels to face Lexer. "That's impossible!"

"It was all over the news. The Regional Professor had to come to being researching it which resulted in the media tracking this as well." Lexer said.

"I was only in Olivine City for about a day when I was searching for the Mystic Water. Latios wouldn't release any Pokeosis unless we were close to a…Dark Crest."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 32. With the IBF Tourney coming to the final sixteen trainers, Matt finds himself preparing to face off with Karson Moe, the Sinnoh Region Champion. Blake and Grace have advanced to the Top 16 along with Griffen and Roy. What will happen when all these trainers face off on top Mt Corenet.<strong>

**But with Alan making another appearance, what events could unfold?**

**So basically I've set the ground work for the third round of the IBF Tourney. And you can be sure to see more in depth battles beside other trainers beside Blake. Don't be afraid to tell me what you think of the battles or anything in particular.**

**R & R**


	33. IBF Finals Pt 1

Chapter 33

**9/28/0046/Morning**

**Olivine City**

It had taken two full days of searching, but Alan had finally found the person Lexer was bugging him about. After discovering the appearance of two Abyss Pokemon in Olivine City, Alan searched the city high and low for the Dark Crest that was responsible for Latios releasing Pokeosis.

When his search had come to its end, Alan could only raise an eyebrow at the woman that was standing alone in the Olivine City Cemetery in dead silence.

Her name was Maria Holker, a young woman who had been dating Ricky before his unfortunate encounter with Alan. She was the only answer to the questions surrounding the Abyss Pokemon, and Alan was now going to find out if his hunch was correct.

"Hello." Alan said, approaching her form the side, receiving no response from her. Alan waited for a few moments, expecting an answer, but Maria never gave him the slightest gesture. "Hello?"

"Oh, uh, sorry. Can I help you?" She asked, looking toward Alan now.

"I think you can. You're Maria Holker, right?" Alan asked, getting a slow nod from her. "Well I heard about Ricky's…unexpected death."

"Oh really, how do you know Ricky?" Maria asked after a few seconds of silence.

"He was a business associate. You could say we were almost partners." Alan replied, spouting lies fluidly.

"He never mentioned you."

"I'm not surprised. At first we started off together, but we split off after a few disagreements as to what we should offer to the public. We haven't spoken to each other since then."

"So what do you need?"

"I know you've been dating Ricky for some time, and you hold him near and dear to your heart, so I'd like to make a deal with you."

"A deal?"

"Yes, a deal."

"Why me?"

"Because I believe you hold something special that the man I work for would be interested it."

"And what might that be?" Maria asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Raise your left arm into the air." Alan said, watching Maria mull over the order for a moment or two before lifting her arm into the air. Alan took a hold of her wrist, but Maria quickly pulled her wrist from his grasp.

"Wha-What are you doing?" She asked, getting a sigh from Alan.

"It's part of the deal, just keep your arm raised." Alan responded, watching Maria raise her left arm once again, although she appeared to be nervous this time.

Alan grabbed her wrist once again, opening his Crest which created a field of dark energy around him.

Maria gasped, trying to pull away from his grip, but found that Alan wouldn't budge at all as he began to chuckle. The dark field began move from his body to her's, starting at her wrist which lit up as the moving field surrounded it.

"Heh, I was right." Alan said out loud, watching Maria's Crest take the shape of a black crescent moon. The dark field continued to surround Maria until she was completely engulfed in it for a several minutes before it was all absorbed into her Crest, leaving the woman to drop to the ground panting. "Yes, you're the person my boss is looking for."

Maria remained silent, trying to muster the strength the sit up straight.

"So Miss Maria, if I were to tell you I could bring your beloved Ricky back to you, would you join me and travel to Sinnoh to meet my boss?"

Maria quickly sat up despite the wave of exhaustion that washed over her. She gave Alan a skeptical look, obviously thinking his words were false already.

"No matter how much I want to believe you, that's impossible." Maria replied, getting a loud laugh from Alan.

"Nothing's impossible my dear, or at least, not for me." Alan said before kneeling down in front of her. "You and I, we're special. We possess power beyond what any normal human could obtain. Power beyond what any normal Pokemon could possibly have."

Maria was silent, staring at Alan who returned her stare.

"Is it really possible? To bring my Ricky back to life?" Maria asked, her eyes gaining a new light.

"I can't guarantee it, but who knows if my boss has any limitations as to the extent of his powers." Alan said with a shrug before Maria took both his hands in hers, shaking them happily.

"I'll do it. I'll do anything to bring Ricky back." Maria said, getting a nod from Alan who hoisted her up to her feet with one hand.

"Then come with me." Alan said, inviting Maria to follow him. 'Excellent, Sander will be pleased.'

**Sinnoh Region**

**Sunyshore City**

**Harbor**

"Hey look, it's the Top 16 of the IBF Toruney!"

The Sunyshore harbor was crowded with people who had heard the ferry with the remaining competitors of the IBF Tourney would be landing in Sinnoh today. As the group of sixteen walked down the ramp to leave the ferry, they were greeted with a mob of fans rooting for their favorite to win.

The biggest cheer came with the appearance of Karson Moe, the Sinnoh Champion. He had built up quite a fan base in Sinnoh, and was sure to have the most fans in the Mt Corenet Battle Dome when the time for the finals came.

Glancing back at Matt, Blake took notice of how Matt was giving Karson an odd look with a small smile. He was anticipating their battle.

Blake had taken some time to check out his next opponent. He wasn't particularly worried, but he wasn't going to go into this match without preparing for himself for as many situations as possible. Blake couldn't wait for the finals to start. Each and every trainer that had come this far would probably be the greatest challenge Blake had faced, but there were a few people he was particularly focusing on.

Grace and Griffen were his top priority. Blake could see that the two of them could potentially beat the Regional Champions, so he was focusing on those two more than the actual Champs. But if Matt somehow defeated Karson Moe, Blake's rival and friend would prove to be his greatest threat in the tournament.

"Hey Grace, would you be willing to do some training with me?" Blake asked, turning to the girl who was waving to the fans that were trying to push past the barrier that had been set up by the local authorities.

"Hmm…?" Grace asked, putting one hand to her ear. She couldn't hear him.

Grabbing her wrist, Blake pulled her closer where he repeated his request, getting a nod from the girl.

**Route 222**

"So what kind of training were you thinking of?" Grace asked, observing Blake who released his Shelgon from its Poke-ball.

"This is the finals of the IBF Tourney, I don't stand much of a chance against any of you with my team at its current level. Especially Ryuu." Blake explained, noticing that Shelgon looked down shamefully since it had lost every match it had been in during the second round of the IBF Tourney. "But, with this training, hopefully Ryuu will evolve before the finals, making it ten times stronger than it is right now."

Shelgon looked up hopefully at Blake who gave it a nod with a smirk before the two looked toward Grace.

"Sounds nice. I could use some practice to make sure that I beat Meegan, but in return for this training, we had better battle each other in the finals." Grace said, releasing her Tangrowth from its Poke-ball.

"It's a deal." Blake said. "Ryuu, use Dragon Breath!"

"Tangrowth, dodge it and use Power Whip!"

Narrowly avoiding the green flames from Shelgon, Tangrowth thrusted both its arms forward, launching two glowing green vines toward the Dragon type which hit it with frightening accuracy. Shelgon was sent flying backward from the attack, landing on the ground several meters away from its starting point.

"Now get it with Seed Bomb!" Grace shouted, seeing the opening land a harsh attack.

**10/11/0046/Morning**

**Outside of Celestic Town**

The past two weeks of training for Blake had been completely dedicated to training Shelgon to reach its full potential and evolve. Comparing Shelgon to the rest of his team like he had to Typhlosion before it evolved, Blake could see just how much weaker Shelgon.

While its defense ability was on the strong side, its power and speed could use some work. Shelgon had made progress in increasing its power, but its speed could beg to differ. Constantly battling Grace did pay off with the variety of Pokemon she had at her disposal to help Shelgon grow in different areas. Like a power duel with her Metagross, or doing its best to cope with Lucario's speed. Shelgon faced a set of opponents that helped it reach a point that every Shelgon dreams of.

"Tangrowth, use Power Whip again!" Grace shouted as her Vine Pokemon launched two vines at Shelgon again.

"Stand your ground Ryuu!" Blake said, watching as Shelgon stamped its feet, preparing itself for the approaching attack. Taking the attack head on, Shelgon was pushed back a few feet before it stop, stubbornly doing its best not to get pushed back any further. "Now push forward with Dragon Claw!"

All four of Shelgon's feet gained a dark purple aura that extended, forming a pair of claws for each foot which Shelgon pushed into the ground to firmly holding its place. Slowly but surely, Shelgon began to advance toward Tangrowth, forcing the vines back as it moved.

"Go for it!" Blake said, encouraging Shelgon to attack once its was within range.

"Shelgon!" It shouted, pushing forward with its hind legs while raising its forward legs to chop up the vines that had been holding it back. Once the vines were out of its path, Shelgon rushed in at Tangrowth to land a dual attack on the Grass type.

Tangrowth was sent sliding backward on its feet, grunting from the damage it had just taken before noticing the white light in front of it. Shelgon's tired form disappeared with in a halo of blinding white light that.

Blake, Grace and Tangrowth looked on in awe as Shelgon's body doubled in size, its legs and neck becoming longer. It's head became prominent, and it sprouted a pair of wings on the top of its back while a tail grew from its back. The light died down after a few moments, revealing Shelgon's last form that Blake quickly identified as a Salamence.

"Awesome!" Grace cheered, watching Salamence look down its feet that now possessed small silver claws, and then to its back where it found a pair of wings. Blake couldn't suppress the genuine smile that grew on his face with Shelgon's final evolution. Taking out his Pokedex, Blake looked up Salamence's new move set.

"Ryuu, use Flame Thrower!" Blake shouted, looking toward the Dragon Pokemon who turned around to glare at Tangrowth. Grace's Pokemon instantly became frightened, jumping backward which was Salamence's cue to attack. Salamence unleashed a wave of flames from its mouth onto Tangrowth, engulfing the Grass type in flames which knocked it out from the super effective hit. "Nice."

"Hey, that wasn't fair Blake, I wasn't ready!" Grace called out after returning her Tangrowth.

"Heh, tough love." Blake replied, walking over to his newly evolved Salamence who looked toward him with a smirk. "Can you fly Ryuu?"

If a question mark could materialize above the Dragon Pokemon's head, Salamence would be surrounded with them.

"Well let's find out." Blake said, climbing onto its back before pointing up at the clear skies. "Let's go!"

Salamence gave a loud roar before flapping its wings twice, taking a leap into the air to get airborne. They rose about eight feet before both Salamence and Blake came crashing to the ground, the two of them tumbling a bit before they came to stop.

"Are you guys okay?" Grace asked, rushing over to her brother and Salamence.

"We're fine." Blake said, sitting up to observe Salamence who was shaking its head a bit before flapping its wings again. Blake and Grace watched as Salamence took off once again, spreading its wings which resulted in it gliding for a few seconds, but when it tried to flap its wings, Salamence dropped to the ground like a brick.

"That's pretty strange. I didn't know you have to teach a Salamence how to fly." Grace stated.

"Neither did I, so I guess we still have some training to do." Blake said with a nod of agreement before taking note of Matt who had return to the clearing that they had been training in.

"Hey Matt, how was training today?" Grace asked, addressing the shirtless boy who was drenched in sweat and panting. Matt remained silent, brushing past Grace and Blake to head to the small campsite the group had made in the clearing. Collecting a towel, Matt left them without a word, heading toward the river to take a bath.

Grace was honestly impressed with Matt and Blake. While she trained with Blake and saw the regime he had designed for his Pokemon, she had yet to see what Matt's was like. All she knew was that Matt himself came back exhausted each day, took a bath an crashed in his sleeping bag, and if he was that tired, she could only imagine what his Pokemon must've been like.

Blake would finish his day of training in a similar fashion, but he was never as tired as Matt. That left Blake and Grace to wonder what he was doing everyday.

**10/11/0046/Night**

**Johto Region**

**Ecruteak City**

Entering the large estate belonging to the Kimono Girls, Lana let out a loud sigh as she released her hold on her backpack, allowing it to drop to the floor. She was finally back in Ecruteak City, and her top priority right now was go sleep, on a bed.

Surprisingly, the entire estate was quiet, which Lana planned to take advantage of and catch a few Z's. As she neared the door of her room, she found that the entire door was covered in notes that had been taped on. Their were at least twenty five different letters, Lana quickly spotting some differences between who wrote which ones.

Taking the longest one which was signed by Nozomi at the end, Lana began to read it, wondering what was so important that they had to go this far to make sure she noticed.

'Dear Lana, we need you to go to Sinnoh. We received a call from Professor Elm a while ago saying that Professor Cedar in the Sinnoh Region has been picking up a lot of seismic activity around Mt Corenet. They need someone to go investigate and we've got our hands full so we need you to head over there as soon as possible. Sincerely, Nozomi.' Lana read before tossing the letter to the floor. "I'll get going tomorrow. Tonight, I'm going to sleep on a bed!"

The short brunette slid open the door to her room to get a running start toward her bed. With a small jump, Lana landed on the queen sized bed in the middle of the room.

"So soft, civilization is the best!"

**10/15/0046/Morning**

**Mt Corenet**

Blake, Grace and Matt rested in a flat, rocky area a good ways up the mountain where they had set up camp the night before. Right now Blake was busy with Salamence, sharing the mechanics behind flying although he didn't have much to share. All he would says was to keep its wings spread for wind resistance to slow its decent.

Salamence hadn't made much progress, and Blake couldn't understand what was affecting its ability to fly. Coming to the conclusion that Salamence wouldn't be able to fly, Blake began to make strategies for Salamence without the ability to fly. But that wasn't enough for the Dragon Pokemon. It wanted to fly.

"Blake, do think Salamence will learn to fly by instinct?" Grace asked Blake as Salamence stretched out its wings, preparing for its next attempt.

"By instinct?" He repeated, looking at her while raising one eyebrow.

"Yeah. You know, like how Pidgeot's teach Pidgey's how to fly by pushing them off a tree branch." Grace explained. "Do you think if Salamence were to like, jump off a cliff it would learn to fly for survival?"

"That…could work." Blake mumbled, mulling over the idea. The IBF Finals was in a week, and Salamence still couldn't fly, so anything was worth a shot now. "I guess we could give it a try."

* * *

><p>"Are you ready Ryuu?" Blake asked as he rested on its back. Salamence looked back at Blake, sweat pouring down its face as it shook its head. "Don't be scared, it's only a one hundred foot drop."<p>

"Rahh." It muttered, turning around to peer over the edge of the cliff once more.

"Do you want to fly Ryuu?" Blake asked the Pokemon who gave him a nod. "Then jump off this cliff."

Salamence looked back at Blake one more time before gulping. Then it took a few steps back before getting a running start. Grabbing onto Salamence's neck, Grace watched as the two of them disappeared over the age, beginning to plummet down toward the next platform. Blake was clinging tightly to its neck, but Salamence was staring at the approaching platform with wide eyes.

"Flap your wings!" Blake shouted. "If we hit the ground, you'll be seriously injured!"

Salamence was still frozen as the two of them dropped. Watching the two of them from on top the cliff, Grace could tell that their plan wasn't as full proof as she thought it would be. Blake was hoping he wouldn't have to play this card, but it appeared as though Salamence wouldn't respond to the danger it would be crashing into pretty soon.

"Ryuu, if you don't fly…I could die from this fall!" Blake shouted desperately.

Salamence's double vision joined together with the realization that Blake was in danger as well if it couldn't fly. Turning its body downward into a nose drive, Salamence's terrified expression disappeared as it spread its wings, piercing through the air as it sped up its decent toward the platform below.

'Come Ryuu, you can do it…' Blake said mentally, his eyes changing to a lime green as he Synchronized with Salamence. 'I know you can do it!'

As they approached the platform, Salamence gave both its wings one flap which put its decent to an immediate stop before spreading its wings once more to glide through the air. Blake was silent for a moment, watching Salamence glide for a few moments before it began to flap its wings, ascending to the platform where Grace and Matt were waiting for the two of them.

"Nice Ryuu!" Blake said to the Dragon Pokemon as it landed on the platform behind Matt and Grace who were cheering for Salamence's success. "For a second there I thought this wasn't going to work, but good job."

"Hey Blake, do you think Salamence-" Matt began.

"Ryuu." Blake interjected with a glare.

"…Ryuu, do you think it can give us a ride up to the Battle Dome?" Matt asked sheepishly, using Salamence's nickname.

"I don't know, do you think you're up to it?" Blake asked, jumping off of Salamence's back.

"Ra…" Salamence growled softly before nodding its head.

"Then let's get going!" Grace shouted, happy that she wouldn't have to spend another night finding their way to the top of Mt Corenet using the caves.

Gathering their belongs, the group of three got onto the back of the Dragon Pokemon who had to take a few moments to adjust to the added weight. Then with a running start, it leaped off the cliff once more. This time, Salamence took off with its wings spread, beginning to climb along the side of the mountain.

As the group clung onto its back for another twenty minutes or so, they found themselves staring at the Mt Corenet Battle Dome. The building was similar to the Meteor Falls Battle Dome, being comfortably lodged on the side of a mountain, but this was built into the mountain side. This Battle Dome was the second largest on the planet, easily holding over a hundred thousand fans in the oval shaped arena.

"This is going to be sweet!" Matt exclaimed as the Salamence landed on the platform, allowing the group on its back to hop off.

"Nice Ryuu, take a rest." Blake said, returning the Dragon Pokemon to its Poke-ball.

"Let's get registered for the Finals." Grace said, motioning toward the front doors that were suddenly thrown up, a large crowd better known as the pauperize came racing toward them.

"Damn." Blake muttered, remembering that this televised event would be worldwide, and as one of the finalists, he was sure to receive attention for the media.

"Can we get an interview!" The reporters shouted as they crowded around the group.

**10/22/0046/Morning**

**Mt Corenet Battle Dome**

**Corridors**

Blake's last week of training in Mt Corenet was as brutal it could get. There were no trainers to battle against with how far up the mountain he was, but the level of the wild Pokemon was perfect for training. Especially with the varying types Mt Corenet had to offer. From the Ice types on the north face of the mountain to the Rock and Dark types on the inside.

All of Blake's Pokemon received their fair share of training, but with Salamence at its final evolution, Blake turned his attention to strengthening Absol.

The Dark type Pokemon he had added to his team in the spur of the moment back in Lilycove City turned out to be a powerful Pokemon, capable of holding its own against most trainers at the IBF level. But while it did possess a powerful move pool, the Disaster Pokemon was distrustful of Blake since he never did return the Orbs. It wasn't easy to make it one of his full time allies, but a week's worth of harsh training Mt Corenet strengthened the bond between the two of them

Now Absol was like a normal member of Blake's team, possessing the same attitude three out of his six Pokemon possessed. Glaring at almost anyone, Absol fit in perfectly with Gallade and Typholision, but it turned out to be quite accepting after becoming friends with Poliwrath, Tyranitar and Salamence. He hadn't used the Disaster Pokemon once during the second round, but now Blake felt that he was comfortable enough with Absol to use it during these high stakes battles.

* * *

><p>"So are you excited to see the competitors this year sir?" One of the critics asked as they were joined by a dark haired man who took a seat beside them.<p>

"I love watching the IBF Tourney, it's the only way I can find out what hot shot trainers are going up to the World stage to challenge me." The dark haired male replied casually.

"So what do you think of them so far?"

"All of them are strong. And the Regional Champs are even stronger than what I usually expect to see. But two of them stand out even more than them."

"Which ones?"

"Those two together at the front of the group." He said, pointing toward Matt and Grace. "Each of them give off a presence that's different from the Regional Champs. Something that could cause a huge upset this year."

"You really think so?"

"I'm sure about it. This year's batch is spectacular. But I can't wait to see all these powerful trainer face off with each other." The dark haired man said with a widening smile.

"You haven't seen all of them yet."

"Really?" He said, counting up the number of trainers that were present in the enormous arena. There were only fourteen out of the sixteen that should be there.

"Here he comes one of them, from the north entrance." The critics said, pointing out Griffen who entered the stadium with a blank expression, observing the fans that were now focusing on him.

The eyes of the dark haired male became wide. There was an enormous aura surrounding him, one that was larger than any of the finalists. He gasped, trying to find words to describe what he had seen, but then Blake entered he stadium with his usual dark expression on. The eyes of the dark haired man was then drawn to Blake, finding that the aura surrounding Blake was just as overwhelming powerful as Griffen's.

'Such a powerful presence!' The dark haired man exclaimed mentally. 'I've never seen anything like it!'

"No way, is that the Golden Flash!" A few fans seated around the group exclaimed, noticing the dark haired man who quickly took note this.

"What's he doing here?"

"Can I get an autograph!"

The number of people surrounding the man quickly grew in size as word spread of his presence. After years of being caught in Battle Domes by fans all over the world, the dark haired male had trouble weaseling his way through the crowd to make his escape.

"Those two trainers, I don't know who or what they are, but I want to know more." He said to himself as he sprinted through the hallways, hoping he could find another area where he could get a seat.

* * *

><p>Day one of the IBF Finals started with a bang as the stands of the large stadium became filled with fans from all over the Sinnoh Region. Being built into a mountain, their was no sunlight, so the entire area was lit but multiple powerful lights that were all aimed down at the battle field where the sixteen finalists were waiting to begin.<p>

The fans held sparklers which many of them had lit already in the darkness, many people raiding the gift shops for merchandise to support their favorite trainer. A circular platform rose up from the center of the battle field were a young man with a microphone greeting everyone with a loud shout.

"Hello fans from across the globe! Welcome to the IBF Finals!" He shouted proudly, getting a roar of cheers from the fans. "You've all been watching for over two months, and now the IBF Tourney has come down to its sixteen finalists. All this battling for the IBF crown has come down to sixteen people who will, in a few minutes, begin eliminating each other to determine who has the right to challenge the IBF Champion!

"These battles will take place over a course of three days, where our finalists will slowly take each other out until were down to two trainers who will battle each other in the final match to become first contender for the IBF Title. So let's get going with the first match today!"

The fans roared with approval, anticipating the amazing battles that were sure to take place.

**Spear Pillar**

"Excellent, everything is going according to plan." An old man said to himself with a soft smile, watching as four Red Chains circling around him. Sander, the Commissioner of the Sinnoh Committee was located in Spear Pillar.

Within the top Mt Corenet was a location that was referred to as Spear Pillar, that was supposedly the location of a place where someone could cross into different dimensions and call out a few Legendary Pokemon so long as certain conditions were met.

Resting around in on the ground around the older gentleman in a triangular formation were three small children with glowing wrists that were crying out in a pain.

"Soon it will be over…Abyss Arceus will finally appear and the Storm will begin." The man said to himself with a cackle. "And I can begin my hunt for the King, to begin my reign."

* * *

><p><strong>I know its been a while since I posted. I didn't stop, I just had to put everything on hold to prepare for my finals, and now their over so I'm back having all the free time I'd need to type. Yay! :D<strong>

**With the IBF Finals starting up in Sinnoh, its almost time for the Storm to begin while Blake is more focused on battling all of his current rivals.**

**Leave a review, tell me what you think, I'd like to know what anyone has to say, I'll reply if your interested. R & R!**


	34. IBF Finals Pt 2

Chapter 34

**10/22/0046/Late Evening**

Two Poke-balls met with an explosion of sparks in the silent stadium, grinding against each other for a few moments before they bounced back, releasing the Pokemon held in side.

Appearing on the left side of the field was four legged Pokemon with silver fur and an angular horn on its head. On the right side of the field was horse with a fiery mane that went back on its hind legs to kick its front legs in the air before stomping them down with a loud snort.

"And for today's opening match, we have Blake from the Johto Region versus Carter from Sinnoh!" The announcer shouted. Unlike most Battle Domes, the announcer box in this Battle Dome was much closer to the battle field, right beside it to be exact.

"This two on two match will now begin." The ref shouted, lowering his flags.

"Rapidash, let's start strong with Flare Blitz!" Carter shouted, pointing toward Blake's Absol who seemed to be distracted by the thousands of people that were staring at it intently.

"Absol, dodge it!" Blake said sharply to Absol, snapping the Disaster Pokemon out of its daze in time to avoid Rapidash's initial attack. Rapidash slammed its feet down to halt its advance and made a hard turn to pursue Absol who was surprisingly agile.

"Stay with it Rapidash!" Carter yelled to his Pokemon.

Absol continued to evade Rapidash's quick and powerful offensive, not even letting the Fire type so much as singe its silver fur.

'Alright, let's test out how strong its power is.' Blake said to himself as Absol took a large leap to its right, putting a good bit of distance between itself and Rapidash. "Absol, use Shadow Claw on the ground to bring up some of the field in front of you. Then use Agility!"

"Sol!" Absol said in a whisper, raising its front right paw which became enveloped in a dark purple aura which extended outward in three long claws. Dropping the Shadow Claw onto the ground in front of it, a large chunk of the field was pushed to stand up in front of Absol, blocking the Disaster Pokemon from view.

"Rapidash, bust right through that weak defense!" Carter called out, seeing that there was no way a piece of the battle field could hold back the kind of power his Rapidash possessed.

'Perfect.' Blake said, timing Rapidash's charge. "Jump Absol!"

As Absol finished heightening its speed with Agility, it leaped into the air. Just in time to avoid Rapidash who rocketed through the earth as if it weren't there, creating a large dust cloud.

"Now Absol, use Razor Wind!" Blake said, motioning to the cloud that Rapidash hadn't left yet.

"Ab-sol!" It hissed, raising its horn where it gained a whitish glow that man of the fans stared at it awe at the brightness. Absol then swung its horn downward, releasing multiple blades of wind that flew down into the cloud, easily blowing the away the cloud while crashing down onto Rapidash who had stopped because some of the dust had gotten into its eye.

"Rapidash, look out!" Carter hollered, but Rapidash failed to dodge the attack. The Fire Horse Pokemon was forced down to the ground with a hard thud, its back now covered in several bruises from the Razor Wind attack.

"Absol, follow up with Night Slash!" Blake commanded to his airborne Pokemon. Absol gave him a nod before beginning its decent, putting out both its front legs which became coated in a black veil of energy that were pointed at the end. Crashing down onto Rapidash, the Night Slash pierced deep into its torso which gained a pained yelp from the Fire Horse before Absol slammed its hind legs down on its head, using its as a spring board.

"Rapidash!" Carter yelled as Absol landed on the ground, glancing back at Rapidash who was obviously in a lot of pain. "Get up, please!"

"Could this be it!" The announcer shouted, but Rapidash forced itself up with grit teeth, wobbling on its legs.

Stomping its feet several times, Carter could tell Rapidash wanted to bet the last of its strength on one last attack.

'Flare Blitz is too risky.' Blake noted, crossing his arms in front his chest.

"Alright Rapidash, let's go with Flame Wheel!"

The Fire Horse went up on its hind legs once more, its body becoming engulfed in flames before it took off in a charge toward Absol.

"Absol, time it and then jump over Rapidash and finish it with Shadow Claw!" Blake shouted, focusing intently on how much distance Rapidash covered with each gallop as it neared Absol. "Jump!"

Absol remained silent, taking a small jump to get over Rapidash while its left paw became covered in a purple aura for Shadow Claw. Piercing through the flames with its Shadow Claw, Absol delivered on last blow to Rapidash's already bruised back as the finisher. Rapidash's knees buckled before it collapsed to the ground with a hard thud, its eyes replaced with the swirls.

"Rapidash is unable to battle. Match, continue!" The ref stated loudly, raising the blue flag for Blake. The stands were silent, many surprised with Blake's strength, but almost all of the critics were quickly raising the standards they originally had for Blake.

Staring at Absol, Blake noticed that the fur on its left leg had been blackened or burned off completely. It was proof that Carter's Rapidash wasn't to be taken lightly if its flames could still burn Absol through the Shadow Claw attack.

"Toxicroak, let's go!" Carter said, releasing his second choice for the battle. The dark skinned Pokemon with a sharp eyes glared at Absol who returned it without a second thought, the two of them becoming quick enemies.

"Absol, start with Shadow Claw on both your legs." Blake ordered. Allowing both its legs to take on the purple aura once again, Absol took off in a dash that tore up the field as it raced toward Toxicroak. Raising its right paw for the initial attack, Absol thrusted it forward toward Toxicroak, the purple aura doubling in size to insure the attack would hit with twice the force.

Moving on its toes alone, Toxicroak spun out of the Absol's attack path with little effort with a smirk. Spotting Toxicroak's smirk out of the corner of its eye, Absol grit its teeth as it landed on its front left paw before turning its entire body on that paw alone to strike again with its right. Once again, Toxicroak evaded the attack by spinning, not a scratch on it.

'Even though Absol was closer that time, Toxicroak uses that spin to direct any excess energy away from it to avoiding taking any damage.' Blake said to himself. His only option was hitting Toxicroak directly, and that appeared to be the greatest hurdle at the moment.

"Toxicroak, attack with Posion Jab!" Carter bellowed confidently. Toxicroak smirked at Absol again, the single claw on each of its hands taking on a purple aura which it proceeded to swipe at Absol with.

Side stepping Toxicroak's first attack, Absol lashed out with its right paw using Shadow Claw, but Toxicroak was quick enough to duck below the attack. Toxicroak then went for a low attack hit to Absol's torso, but the Disaster Pokemon dropped its horn down on to Toxicroak's arm to stop its attack. Absol glared up at its opponent who smirked at it once again which gained a snarl from it before noticing that Toxicroak poised its next hand to strike.

"Absol, Agility!" Blake shouted suddenly. As Toxicroak thrusted its claw into Absol's torso, Absol became a white blur which bounced away from the Posion/Fighting type. When Absol came to a stop, Blake could clearly see a small spot on its torso which had a dark bruise, a sign that they hadn't avoided the attack completely. "That was too close."

Absol's Shadow Claw dispersed as its knees buckled. Absol growled through grit teeth before straightening up, but it was obviously in pain.

'Posion!' Blake exclaimed, looking toward Carter and Toxicroak who both wore confident expressions.

'Good luck surviving the poison because we won't let you land another attack.' Carter said mentally.

"Croak…" Toxicroak said out loud to Absol which gained a second snarl from the Disaster Pokemon who was now giving it the dark glare it could. The Shadow Claw Absol had previously been using flared back to life, which it then smashed into the field to rip a piece of earth out and hurl it at Toxicroak.

Toxicroak easily avoided the frontal attack with a spin before spotting Absol was charging toward. Lunging at Toxicroak when it was close enough, Absol threw out both its forward legs to land a Shadow Claw, but Toxicroak simply took a small side step to avoid the attack.

"Use Brick Break!" Carter shouted as Absol passed by Toxicroak. Slamming its knee into Absol's torso as it passed by, Absol howled in pain as it was sent tumbling across the field, Blake watching this with a stoic face.

"Absol, can you keep going?" Blake called out to his Pokemon who was already trying to get back on its feet and continue the battle.

"Sol." It replied, becoming steady on its feet after shaking off the pain from the Brick Break attack.

"Now do that same attack again, but put Agility into the mix." Blake ordered. Absol gave him a nod before using Shadow Claw once more to uproot another piece of the field and chuck it at Toxicroak.

"Toxicroak, stay focused." Carter said, feeling as though Absol was going to do something that would cause a major upset to the momentum he and Toxicroak had been gaining.

Dodging the rock again, Toxicroak found Absol charging at it once again, but it had already closed in on it with its right front leg extended for an attack. Toxicroak took a step in toward Absol, ducking below its right leg to go in for an attack.

This time it was Absol's turn to smirk since it expected Toxicroak to move in for an attack. Using its left leg which it had tucked in against its torso, Absol extended the Shadow Claw downward, grinding it into the field before it threw it upward at the approaching Toxicroak. Toxicroak was bombarded by chunks of the field which stopped its attack on Absol before it felt a sharp pain run across its torso in three separate lines. Absol landed its Shadow Claw attack with one leg, before using its next to give Toxicroak a hard hit to its torso which sent it sliding across the field on its back.

"Now Absol, end this with Razor Wind!" Blake shouted. Absol's horn became a bright white again, but its knees buckled again during the charging process, which prevented its from firing its attack.

'Yes, the poison came back just in time.' Carter said with a sigh of relief as Toxicroak slowly rose to its feet, glaring at Absol. "Toxicroak, finish it with Brick Break!"

"Croak…" It said, smirking as it began to walk toward Absol who was struggling just to move now, biting back its pain just to glare at Toxicroak.

"Damn, that poison has finally put Absol in a corner." Blake said out loud before a small smile formed on his face. "But when you back a Pokemon into a corner, that's when it's most dangerous."

"It looks like that poison has finally gotten the better of Absol. This could be it." The announcer said as Toxicroak neared Absol.

Absol growled at Toxicroak who was now standing in front of it with a raised arm, prepared to drop its forearm down onto Absol's head to finish off the Disaster Pokemon.

Everything happened to quick for the crowd to understand. Toxicroak dropped its arm downward for the attack, and Absol suddenly lunged at it with, putting out its glowing horn. Blake was sure he heard a slicing sound, and then Toxicroak fell to the ground, black swirls replacing its eyes.

"To…Toxicroak is unable to battle. Absol is the winner so the match goes to Blake!" The ref declared, just as surprised as the crowd since Toxicroak was the one to fall.

"What a turn of events, Absol somehow landed the finishing blow even though it appeared as though Toxicroak was sure to win." The announcer exclaimed as the stadium burst into cheers at that echoed with in the dome that was located in a cave. "We're looking at a slow motion replay right now."

"Heh, Absol deflected Toxicroak's arm with its horn before landing the kill blow to its chest." A dark haired man said out loud, getting man odd looks from the critics seated with him in the booth that had a good view of the battle field.

"Here comes the replay on the big screen for you all you fans." The announcer said, motioning to the large screen mounted on a wall about the east stands. Just as the dark haired male has claimed, Absol had parried away Toxicroak's arm before jumping at it's to land the finishing Razor Wind.

"You're eyes haven't gotten rusty at all." One of the critics commented, receiving a nod and a smile from the man.

"Of course not. These eyes are what got me all the way to top. I wouldn't be World Champion without them." The dark haired man replied, scratching the bridge of his nose with a grin.

"What an amazing battle that was folks, and the damage done to the field is a testament to that." The announcer said, taking note of the multiple locations Absol had torn apart when attack.

Down on the battle field, Blake had approached Absol who was waiting for him on the field with a serious expression. Kneeling down in front of it, Blake placed his hand above its forehead which he flicked with both his index and middle finger which gained a low growl from Absol who glared at him.

"I know it's your first battle in a Battle Dome, but you never want to get angry during a battle. Taking that first Brick Break was completely unnecessary and many of your attacks were reckless and dangerous." Blake said sternly before placing his hand on its head, ruffling its fur on top its head. "But all around, you did a bang up job."

Absol gave him an odd look.

"It means you did a nice job." Blake said before rising to his feet when he noticed Carter approaching him.

"Even though I lost, that's gotta be the most amazing battle I've had in my entire career." He said, putting out his hand for Blake to shake it, which he did.

"It was a great battle. Thanks." Blake said, giving Carter a nod.

"I'm sure you can win the whole thing if you're that good. Good luck." Carter said, giving Blake a wave as he began to head off toward the exit of the stadium.

"Come on Absol, let's get you healed up." Blake said, motioning for Absol to follow him toward the exit of the stadium as well, the fans cheering for the to of them as they left.

* * *

><p>"You're Absol should be completely fine by tonight." Nurse Joy said to Blake, getting a nod and thanks from the boy who quickly checked the time on his Pokedex as he left Nurse Joy's desk.<p>

"Alright, Matt's match doesn't start for another twenty minutes. Maybe I'll catch him before he leaves his room." Blake said quietly, setting a fast walking pace for himself in hope that he would be able to talk to Matt before his match against Karson Moe started.

After they left the Meteor Falls Battle Dome, Blake and Matt hadn't spoken to each to much. On the account that they planned to meet each other on the battle field in the IBF Finals, but Blake was beginning to worry about his rival since Matt rarely spoke during the entire month of training they had in the Sinnoh. He could tell Matt was freaking out about his match against a Regional Champ, but at the same time Blake's curiosity was also peaked.

He had never seen Matt battle anyone seriously before. Matt always seemed to be goofing around during battles, although that seemed to be apart of his style, but if anyone could make Matt serious, it had to be Karson Moe.

Arriving at the door to Matt's room, Blake knocked twice before entering the room to find that all the lights were off.

"Hmm, maybe left already." Blake said, flipping on the switch to light up the room. Blake then spotted in a large lump hidden under the covers of the single bed in the room. 'He must be really nervous…'

Approaching the bed, Blake saw a small amount of movement coming from the lump.

"Matt, are you sure you're okay?" Blake asked, standing over the lump. "There's no need to be nervous. You should just go out there and battle like you normally do."

Blake waited for a response which he never received.

"Matt?" Blake repeated, poking the lump which got a disgruntled snore in return. Grabbing the covers, Blake tore them off of the bed to find Matt sound asleep on the bed, already dressed and ready for the battle. "Matt!"

The sleeping teen jumped up from his bed, looking at Blake through his one open eye while scratching the back of his head.

"Wha?" He said, looking around a bit before rubbing his eyes to clear up his vision.

"Your match starts in ten minutes." Blake said almost casually. Matt sat in silence for a moment, allowing this information to settle in.

"Ten minutes!" He screamed, falling off his bed before with a hard thud that shook the floor before he scrambled to his feet. Matt made a dash for the door, jumping into his sneakers before opening the door to leave.

"How'd you do Blake since I missed your match?" Matt asked, stopping at the door.

"I won." Was all Blake said.

"Alright then, I'll keep the ball rolling with a win, and then tomorrow we'll finally have a match against each other." Matt declared, bumping Blake's chest with his fist before heading toward the door at a jogging pace. "I'll see you on the battle field Blake!"

Watching Matt leave the room, Blake then took a quick glance around the room before noticing a yellow belt on the dresser that had six Poke-balls strapped to it.

'Did he, leave without his Pokemon?' Blake asked himself, a bit shocked that Matt somehow managed to leave without the one thing that was absolutely necessary to have a battle. "Damn."

**Stadium**

"And now for today's second match, we have Matt of the Hoenn Region facing off against the Sinnoh Champion of the Battle Circuit, Karson Moe!" The announcer said, the volume of the fans going up another level at the announcement of a Regional Champion. Karson Moe waved to the fans with a smile, completely oblivious to the intense stare he was receiving from Matt who stood in the red box.

Blake raced down the staircase to the lowest part of the stands with Matt's belt in hand. He wasn't able to catch up to Matt in the corridors, so he had to rush up to the seating area to closer to Matt.

"Hey Matt!" He shouted, leaning over the railing to get the boy's attention. Matt looked back Blake who held the belt up, shouting that Matt would need this.

Matt only grinned at him at him before raising his right arm where a wrist band was located on his wrist with two Pokemon's hanging on it.

'Only two Pokemon…' Blake said to himself. 'Matt must be plotting if he's that confident that he'll only need those two Pokemon.

"Trainers, this will be a two on two match. Are you ready?" The ref shouted, raising his two flags to silence the crowd.

"This is sure to be an exciting match. Let's see how the hotshot cannonball trainer from Hoenn fairs again Trickster Champion of Sinnoh." The announcer continued as Matt and Karson gave the ref a nod.

"Alright then, trainers. Clash!" The ref shouted.

'Time to show everyone what I'm made of.' Matt said to himself with a smile as he selected his first Poke-ball.

Karson and Matt gave each other a nod of acknowledgement before hurling the Poke-balls they had selected onto the field. Matt released his Poke-ball mid swing which sent in flying out in a horizontal arc toward the middle of the battle field, but it possessed a rapid spin. He combined the Hook with a Spin Counter, just like Karson.

The two Poke-balls met, pressing against each other while spinning which sent sparks flying in every direction before the opposing spins caused the two Poke-balls to bounce away from the other to release the Pokemon inside.

"It's been a long time since we got to battle together Shedinja." Matt said to the Shed Pokemon who he had just released onto the field. On Karson's side of the field was a large, white, fur covered Pokemon with green hands and feet that somewhat resembled a snow covered tree.

Placing his thumb against his chin, Karson cursed mentally seeing that Shedinja would be a major problem with its special ability.

"Yes, we already have the upper hand. That Abomasnow shouldn't know any moves that could hurt Shedinja." Matt said with a sigh of relief. Using Shedinja was huge risk for Matt because if he couldn't win the Clash, or even break even, Shedinja would've been knocked out from the Clash.

Blake raised his eyebrows as Matt's first choice. A Shedinja was the last Pokemon he was expecting Matt to use, but then Blake noticed that all of the slots on Matt's belt were filled.

'He must've called in these two Pokemon to use specifically for the Finals.' Blake said, curious as to what Matt had planned for this battle.

"Shedinja, let's start of with Bug Buzz!" Matt shouted, watching Shedinja rise higher above the field before firing a yellow sound wave toward Abomasnow.

"Abomasnow, dodge it!" Karson said calmly, watching his Pokemon quickly run to its left to escape the super effective attack. "Now use Ice Beam!"

"Aboma-snow!" It roared, thrusting its hands forward to firing a cyan colored beam of light toward Shedinja who remained completely still. Disappearing inside the light produced by the attack when it came into contact with Shedinja, the Bug/Ghost type remained unaffected by the attack before Abomasnow ended the attack. When the light of Ice Beam vanished, everyone could see that Shedinja completely find, taking no damage from the attack.

"Abomasnow, attack with Sheer Cold!" Karson shouted, deciding that he'd have to use a one hit KO move in order to knock out Shedinja. Abomasnow opened its mouth to unleash a powerful gust of icy wind that froze the moisture in the air as it traveled toward Shedinja, the air blasting out in all directions as it hit Shedinja. Unseen by everyone on Karson's side of the stadium, a protective ball of white energy had appeared around Sheninja, blocking out the attack.

After a few moments, Abomasnow ended the Sheer Cold, finding that Shedinja was unharmed by this attack as well. The Ice/Grass type Pokemon growled, becoming frustrated with the face that its offense could cause any damage to Shedinja.

Karson looked twice as angry as Abomasnow. Their entire offense had been shut down by Shedinja's Wonder Guard, and Karson was sure the rest of Abomasnow's attacks couldn't break through the Wonder Guard either.

"This kid is pretty smart, although it was pretty risky. I'll give him props for guts and for beating Abomasnow, but I'll finish him off with my next Pokemon." Karson said to himself with tight fists.

Abomasnow was his leading Pokemon when it came to controlling a battle and then landing the finishing blow, but before Karson could even begin to plan what he was going to do with it; Matt pushed them into a corner with no way out.

"Abomasnow is unable to battle, Shedinja is the winner!" The ref declared at Shedinja finished using a series of Bug Buzz attacks to knockout Abomasnow who was forced to accept defeat when none of its attacks could damage the Shed Pokemon.

"Alright kid, I'll admit that your smart and you've got guts, but I'm going to crush you with everything I've got now!" Karson proclaimed after returning Abomasnow to its Poke-ball before taking an Ultra Ball off of his belt. "Kabutops!"

"Kabu-tops!" It shouted with its deep voice, swing its scythe like arms a bit to stretch before looking toward Shedinja.

"Match continue!" The ref shouted.

"Kabutops, let's make this quick. Use Ancient Power!" Karson shouted, watching his Pokemon stomp its feet twice which caused several parts of the field to rise into the air by an invisible force which then threw the rocks at Shedinja.

"Shedinja, use U-turn!" Matt shouted, unable to stop the smile from growing on his face. Watching his partner become a dark yellow ball of light which dove down in the approaching horde of stones. Weaving through the mass of rocks, Shedinja charged straight into Kabutops to land its attack before became a flash of red light that was withdrawn into the Poke-ball which Matt was hold out.

Many of the critics raised their eyebrows at this tactic. Substituting Pokemon mid battle in the Battle Dome was illegal unless it was caused by a move that forced a Pokemon to return, and U-turn was one of those exceptions.

"Substitution accepted." The ref said, raising the red flag. "Match continue!"

"Gengar, let's go!" Matt shouted, releasing his second Pokemon.

"Gen-gar." The Ghost Pokemon cackled as it stared at its opponent with a grin.

"It doesn't matter what Pokemon you bring out, we'll crush all of them! Kabutops, take it down with Night Slash!"

Kabotops roared, raising its arms into the air where both them gained a black aura before it began to race toward Gengar who was practically inviting Kabutops to attack.

"Gengar, counter with Shadow Sneak and then use Dark Pulse!" Matt commanded. Gengar's grin widened as it sunk down into the ground, becoming a dark shadow that had no body to cast it. The shadow traveled across the field toward Kabutops who had come to a stop, searching for Gengar.

Joining together with Kabutops' shadow, Gengar rose up from the ground, charging up at Dark Pulse with both its hands which it fired at Kabutops from behind.

"Kabutops, look out!" Karson shouted, trying to get his Pokemon's attention, but before Kabutops could even turn around, it was hit on the back by the Dark Pulse which sent it stumbling forward.

"Take your distance Gengar!" Matt yelled as Kabutops turned around swiftly, searching for Gengar again. Spotting the Ghost Pokemon, Kabutops took off in another charge toward Gengar, swinging its arms wildly. Gengar only snickered as Kabutops swung at it, easily avoiding the attacks until Kabutops caught a piece of its arm with the Night Slash.

The pain was enough for Gengar to realize Kabutops could touch it, and with an attack that could do massive damage no less. The grin on Gengar's face dropped as it floated away from Kabutops.

"Good, you're finally serious." Matt noted as Gengar landed in front of him. Tilting its head to the side, Matt heard a pop which was supposed to be Gengar's way of cracking its neck even though it didn't have one. "Ready? Attack with Shadow Sneak again!"

"Kabutops, tear up the field with Ancient Power!" Karson shouted, remaining calm. Kabutops stomped the field twice, tearing up the field around it to halt Gengar's advance as a shadow on the field. Gengar stopped for a few moments, searching for a opening it could move through without taking on a physical form again. Finding none, Gengar rose up from the ground, only to see Kabutops lunge at it with raised arms that were ready to finish Gengar.

"Gengar!" The Ghost Pokemon howled as Kabutops cut its body in three separate parts using Night Slash. Even though Gengar's body quickly combined back into its one original body, the pain of the super effective attack had nearly knocked it out.

"Gengar, move back and use Dark Pulse!" Matt shouted.

Gengar moved back about three steps, charging up a Dark Pulse which it fired at Kabutops, but the Shellfish Pokemon was quick to counter. Cutting the Dark Pulse in two using Night Slash, Matt could tell Kabutops would dive in for the finishing hit now.

"Quick Gengar, use Destiny Bond!" Matt hollered, seeing that it was time to end the battle. As Kabutops jumped at Gengar, a bright light appeared underneath both Pokemon which faded away just as quick as it appeared.

"Kabutops!" Karson shouted after hearing Matt's command, but Kabutops wasn't able to stop itself in time, landing another Night Slash on Gengar.

Gengar didn't howl or scream this time; it just dropped to the ground, its eyes replaced with black swirls. But before the ref could declare that Gengar was unable to battle, two purple swirls were fired from the Gengar's eyes to Kabutops.

"Look out Kabutops!" Karson shouted, watching Kabutops try to lean out of the path of the Destiny Bond, but the attack followed Kabutops, hitting the Rock/Water type Pokemon on the head which sent it to the ground with a thud.

The ref ran onto the field, checking both Pokemon.

"Both Gengar and Kabutops are unable to battle. The match goes to Matt who has one Pokemon remaining!" The ref proclaimed, the crowd taking its time to let this information sink it. Karson Moe had been beaten.

The stadium practically exploded with a chant of Matt's name as the boy ran onto the field to check his Gengar. Most of Karson Moe's fans refused to cheer for him, but they couldn't deny that Matt had taken every precaution to maintain control of the battle.

"His strategy was excellent, risky, but excellent!" The dark haired man exclaimed, clapping for Matt enough though he was sure Matt couldn't hear him.

In the stands, Blake was speechless. He was ready to declare that Matt lost since Kabutops was about to knock out Gengar and then Shedinja would've been easy picking. But for Matt to have Destiny Bond ready was clever.

"That was a good battle, wasn't it?" Griffen asked, getting Blake's attention. Receiving a glare from Blake, Griffen only grinned at the boy. "Your friend is pretty smart. I'd pay closer attention to him if I were you."

"Don't you have a battle you should be getting ready for?" Blake asked pensively.

"I do. I'm not worried." Griffen responded nonchalantly.

"But it's against a Regional Champ."

"I know. It shouldn't be a problem. After all, the only people I have to watch out for are you and Grace…and now your friend Matt too." Griffen said, slapping Blake's shoulder which gained a glare from the boy. "I can't wait to see which of the three of you is the strongest."

"What a freak." Blake muttered as Griffen walked away, leaving Blake to look out at the battle field where Matt was waving to Karson Moe who had just finished talking to him.

"What a turn of even folks, one of the favorites to win, Karson Moe, has just been knocked out of the running by the rookie from Hoenn!" The announcer shouted.

Standing at one of the exits of the stadium, Karson Moe stared at Matt with a look of discontent. The battle could've gone either way. Karson Moe could've selected a Pokemon that could beat Shedinja and then defeat Gengar, but because Shedinja took the first win, the match was a guaranteed win for Matt. Karson couldn't deny that Matt was a very clever trainer to come up with such a strategy that could allow him to beat a Regional Champ like that.

'There's no doubt about it. That boy is sure to become something great in the future.' Karson noted with a smile before retreating into the darkness of the corridors.

* * *

><p>The first day of the Finals continued with an odd feeling at the huge upset. A Regional Champ being knocked out of the tournament by a trainer no one had been paying attention to had caused a huge uproar across the Sinnoh Region. No one was expecting this, but that only fueled the remaining three Champions to do their absolute best since the other trainers could not be taken lightly now.<p>

Aside form Matt's battle, the remaining predictions went according to what had been said by many critics. Meegan J easily won her match, advancing the Top 8 along with Grace. The two females were now set to battle each other on the next day of the tournament. Roy had claimed victory over his opponent with quite a bit of trouble, but he advanced to the next stage where he would be battling Beck Langings.

During the last match of the first day, there was a second upset that many critics were arguing about.

* * *

><p>"And the match between Malichi Summers, the Hoenn Champion and Griffen from the Hoenn Region is over!" The announcer shouted. "And what an amazingly fast battle it was!"<p>

Many of the fans in the crowd could agree, all of them feeling sorry for Malichi who was down on his hands and knees, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Griffen had completely annihilated him in under five minutes.

"Good job Magmortar, return." Griffen said, returning his partner to its Poke-ball with a yawn. "I hope tomorrow's match is better than this one."

Turning on his heels, Griffen looked up at the crowd that was screaming his name. He gave them a wave as he made his way toward the exit of the stadium, a wide grin on his face.

**10/22/0046/Night**

"I'm telling you guys, all of Sinnoh is in a buzz about these two guys." A critic exclaimed. "The two teenagers that beat the Champions of Hoenn and Sinnoh."

A group three critics had been called down by the media to discuss the highlights of the first day of the Finals. But all of the talk was about Matt and Griffen, two trainers that had done something that was completely unexpected in the IBF Tourney.

"I'm not surprised, no expected Karson Moe to be beaten by anyone but a Regional Champ. Watching some teenage walk up and one-sidedly beat the man would leave anyone speechless."

"I can't wait to see Matt versus Blake tomorrow. That's probably going to be the best match of the day."

"I'm sure it will."

"Don't forget about Meegan J versus Grace. The two of them are battling to decide who will represent Johto, so I'm sure that one will be something to watch to."

"I know that match will receive a lot of attention, but right now all of Sinnoh wants to see just how strong Matt truly is, so he'll be getting a lot of attention from now on."

"I for one am curious about his strength too. In that battle against Karson, we didn't see much skill, we saw a strategy that would allow him to win. That means he acknowledged Karson as the stronger of the two of them, and battled in a way to win over a stronger opponent."

"The way he used Destiny Bond at the end was smart, and I've never seen anyone use a Shedinja before. I'm telling you, this kid is someone to watch out for from here on out. I don't know if he can win the entire tournament, but I'm sure he can beat just about an trainer here if he can take down a Regional Champ."

"I can't wait to see more of this kid tomorrow."

**Mt Corenet**

A short brunette quietly sat on the shoulder of her Blastoise as they walked through the dark cave on an incline. Lana was very nervous. Her Crest had lit up as she neared the top of Mt Corenet where Spear Pillar was located, which quickly told her what ever it was Professor Cedar had picked up on involved the Crests.

"Why'd you stop Blastoise?" Lana asked when her partner came to a stop, refusing to go any further.

"Blast." It rumbled, pointing toward the a light at the top of the incline.

"Is something up there?" She asked herself, jumping off of her Blastoise to continue on her own to feet. Reaching the top of the incline, Lana could a wall of light blocking their path. "What's this?"

Approaching the wall, Lana placed her hand on to examine it, but her hand was blown away by an unseen force which caused the girl to stumble back a bit.

"What is this?" Lana asked herself before noticing what was engraved on the wall of the light. A pentagon made up of five separate triangles. The King's Crest.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 34. We have the first day of the IBF Finals coming to a close with Matt pulling off a great victory over the Sinnoh Champion Karson Moe. Now he and Blake can have their long awaited match against each other, and what better stage then the IBF Finals where the whole world can watch them. But somethings brewing in Mt Corenent as Lana begins to investigate what's going on at Spear Pillar.<strong>

**Read, review and enjoy! :D**


	35. IBF Finals Pt 3

**This is one of my longest chapters to date, and when I said I'd get down to some real battles, this chapter has two of the best so far. So please tell me what you think of these battles.**

**You may read now. ;)**

* * *

><p>Chapter 35<p>

Blake rested on the edge of the bed in his dark hotel room, Absol resting behind him on the bed on its side. The only light in the room was coming from the tv that the two of them were staring at together, watching the reruns of today's matches.

It was habit Blake had picked up on since the IBF Tourney started, picking apart his matches to see where he could correct his mistakes or strengthen his offense. Winning with just Absol today was a surprise for Blake. He had never used Absol in a match until now, and it had quickly jumped to the upper tier on Blake's list.

Even with all the training he had done with Absol, Blake had never seen the Disaster Pokemon battle as how it did today, and he could tell that it Absol's natural style to battle with precision, focusing all its power on one point to cause massive damage to its opponent. It was similar to Gallade in more ways than one. Its speed and reflexes were to be desired as well after how it managed to turn around that dire situation at the end of the match in an instant. Blake was certainly impressed with Absol and would be using the Disaster Pokemon a lot more in the future.

Fast forwarding to Matt's match, Blake had to give his rival props for creating such a crazy plan to beat a trainer that was obviously stronger than him in almost every way. The huge gamble of using a Shedinja was something not even Blake could've foreseen. If Matt had lost the Clash, Shedinja would've been knocked out by the damage and that would've been the end of his plan, but everything worked in his favor from the beginning. Blake couldn't decide whether to call it luck, or skill. Still, Matt would be a worthy opponent, but from that last battle, Blake knew he had to be a lot more cautious since Matt's arsenal was a lot larger and stronger than Blake had originally thought.

The door to his room burst open, allowing light to enter his room. Blake and Absol glared at the source of the light, seeing a feminine silhouette standing in the door way. The two of them practically hissed at the girl, the light hurting their eyes since they had spent the entire afternoon in the darkness of their room.

"Sheesh Blake-kun, since when did you become a vampire?" Lana asked playfully as she entered the room.

"Lana? Close the door." Was the first thing Blake said, waiting for the click of the door shutting before he looked toward the girl. "What are you doing here?"

"Professor Cedar had something that needed to be investigated in Mt Corenet so I was called for the job." Lana replied, taking a seat beside Blake on his bed. "And I need your help."

"My help? For what?" Blake inquired as Absol moved over to Lana, curiously sniffing the girl. Waiting a few moments to see if Absol was comfortable with her, Lana began to scratch underneath its chin, getting a small snort from it before Absol flopped down on the bed beside Lana allowing the girl to continue.

"Someone sealed off the passage way to Spear Pillar." Lana continued.

"And? What does that have to do with me?"

"It's not like a cave collapsed Blake. It was sealed using a Crest." Lana explained, getting a sharp glance from Blake.

"Can't you bug Grace about this right now?"

"No, only you have the ability to break the seal."

"Only me? Damn, right now I'm busy with the IBF Tourney. I can't be wasting time on stuff like this." Blake replied.

"But Blake-kun, Professor Cedar reported that there's a lot of seismic activity coming from Spear Pillar, and if there's a seal from a Crest, which means its something we should be worrying about." Lana explained, getting a shrug from Blake.

"I know just how crazy all this junk can get, but right now the Finals are the only thing on my agenda. I have to stay focused if I'm going to win." Blake replied calmly.

"If you know how crazy all this can become, why are you ignoring it. I need your help to figure out whatever it is going on in Spear Pillar." Lana almost pleaded, removing her hand from Absol.

"Lana, like I said. Right now I can't help you. I refuse to lose since I gotten this far." Blake responded, stubbornness evident in his voice.

"Please Blake-kun. This is a lot more important than this tournament. There's a lot more at stake than what you think."

"Like what?"

"The whole world. Everyone is at risk, don't you remember what you read back on Mt Tsugi?"

"Of course." Blake almost snapped.

"Then you of all people should know what's going to happen."

"It's not like I believe all that garbage. I'll admit that I've met a few freaks that keep talking about all this stuff like you and Grace, but frankly, I don't believe any of this is going to happen, and I don't care either." Blake stated, getting a strange look from Lana who rose up from the bed abruptly.

"So you won't help me?" She asked for clarification.

"No, not right now." Blake replied.

"Alright then…I'll leave you for now, Blake." Lana said in a deadpan, exiting the room.

Blake flinched when she slammed the door behind. But he wasn't going to change what he said. Everything about these Crests seemed like one strange story to him, and he certainly wasn't going to sacrifice crucial training time during the Finals to go exploring.

He had to prepare for Matt, for Griffen and for all his possible opponents.

**10/23/0046/Morning**

**Corridors**

Blake and Grace stood alone inside the long dark corridor that led into the stadium. It was quiet, the two of them trying to contain their excitement for their matches today.

Grace's match was the first today, and Grace was trembling in her shoes as they waited for the announcer to finish the introductions.

"Do you think you'll win?" Blake asked, snapping Grace out of her daze.

"Of course. That's what I'm here to do against anyone I face." Grace announced.

"And for the first match today, in the red box we have the Champion of the Johto Battle Circuit, the Queen of Johto, Meegan J!" The announcer shouted as the crowd began to chant the name of the red head who came running out onto the field with a spotlight following her. "Give her a hand folks!"

Meegan took her spot on the battle field, waving to the fans before he light disappeared, turning to Grace's entrance.

"And in the blue box we have the Little Princess of Johto, the only person Meegan J views as a rival, Grace!" The announcer said, motioning to Grace's corridor.

"That's my cue, I'll see you later Blake!" She said, giving him a V for victory before sprinting out into the stadium, the arena roaring at her appearance.

"We have an interesting setup today between these two competitors from Johto since they both started out in the Battle Circuit around the same time, the two of them have constantly been fighting each other over the right of who's the strongest in Johto. And from their debut, they have advanced all the way to the top of the IBF, still battling each other. Now, the day as finally come where they can duke it out against each other directly for the right of being the Johto representative in the IBF Tourney."

"Trainers, this will be a three on three Pokemon battle. Are you ready?" The ref asked, getting a nod from both girls who had selected their first Pokemon. "Clash!"

Grace and Meegan gave each other a sharp stare, reeling back their arms to initiate the Clash. Hurling their Poke-balls onto the field, both put a fast spin on their Poke-ball as they neared the other. But while Meegan's had a powerful forward spin, Grace's Poke-ball was spinning random, obviously uncontrolled and moving around in the air.

The two met with unexpected flare as the stadium stared in awe at the light show in front of them. Meegan's was sent flying backward as the two released the Pokemon onto the field.

Grace smirked, it was a clear advantage for her right from the start. Metagross roared as it leered at Meegan's already weakened Rhydon who returned the leer with a pained growl.

"Match begin!" The ref shouted, lowering the flags.

"Rhydon, let's make up for the Clash damage with Fire Fang!" Meegan shouted, seeing that she was already on the losing side. She needed to turn this around quickly.

"Metagross, don't let it hit you with that! Keep it away with Meteor Mash." Grace ordered quickly, seeing that Rhydon was a lot faster than she expected.

"Meta!" The Iron Leg Pokemon roared as it two front legs became engulfed in a yellow aura. As Rhydon charged in, its stomps being heard throughout the stadium, it opened up its mouth revealing its now extended fangs that had become bright orange.

Rhydon closed up the distance, ducking below Metagross' first attack before giving the Steel type a hard shove with its hands which flipped Metagross, putting in on its flat top. Before Metagross could reorient itself, Rhydon landed on top of it, preparing to sink its teeth into Metagross' hard body. With a grunt, Metagross threw a punch toward Rhydon's face, but before it could hit the tail of the Drill Pokemon had closed up around Metagross' arm, holding back its attack.

Metagross wasted no time trying to launch an attack with its next arm, but Rhydon slapped its arm away at the joint of its arm before looking down at Metagross, opening up its mouth.

"Metagross, use Hammer Arm with your third leg!" Grace shouted as Rhydon bit down on Metagross. The Iron Leg Pokemon groaned for a moment before thrusting its third leg upward into the stomach of Rhydon. Only managing to land about seven seconds worth of damage, Rhydon had to cut of its attack after taking the harsh blow to its stomach. Coughing and gagging, Rhydon couldn't hear the shouts of Meegan for it to look at Metagross flipped itself using Psychic before reeling back one of its front arms.

Landing the Meteor Mash attack, Rhydon was sent straight back to Meegan J on its back, leaving a trail of dust as it slid across the field.

"Come on Rhydon, this isn't over yet." Meegan called out to her Pokemon as it tried to rise to its feet, but taking to consecutive super effective hits had pretty much finished off Rhydon. The Drill Pokemon gave off a low groan before it collapsed to the ground once more, its eyes being replaced by black swirls this time.

"Rhydon is unable to battle. Match continue!" The ref declared as Meegan returned Rhydon to its Poke-ball.

"You did good Rhydon. Grace is just a lot stronger than we thought she'd be." Meegan said, taking her next pick. She had two Pokemon she could use against Grace's Metagross. One could easily dominate Metagross but could easily be taken out soon after while the second was well rounded, and she was going with her second choice. "Altaria, let's do this!"

The Dragon/Flying type Pokemon squawked as it took flight, soaring over Metagross in a air.

"Start off with Fire Blast then dive in for an attack!" Meegan shouted, deciding to cause as much damage as she could in one go. "

"Metagross, protect yourself with Psychic." Grace commanded as Altaria unleashed an enormous blast of flames that took the shape of the kanji for fire. Metagross' eyes gained a bright blue hue, its body becoming surrounding in an outline of the same color as it was engulfed by the flames. "Now blast it away!"

"Meta!" It roared, releasing a circular blue pulse from its body which blew away the flames as well as the approaching Altaria, leaving Metagross unharmed from the attack.

"Altaria, use Dragon Dance!" Meegan shouted, watching her partner retreated higher into the air, retracting and extending its wings as if it were dancing.

"While its busy Metagross, let's get it with Flash Cannon!" Grace ordered, pointing at Altaria who was remaining in one place to perform Dragon Dance. Metagross gave a low hum before charging up a sphere of gray energy in front its mouth with two rings circling around it which it then fired at Altaria who was high above it.

Just before the Flash Cannon made contact with Altaria, it completely the Dragon Dance which gave its body a whitish glow before it disappeared, avoiding the attack with ease.

"Now use Dragon Dance once more!" Meegan shouted as Altaria appeared down on the field this time. Altaria began the same process again, but faster this time.

"Metagross, this time let's get it with Bullet Punch!" Grace yelled, seeing that they would need more speed if they were going to hit Altaria now that it had boosted its stats.

Metagross burst forward speed that most people had never seen a Steel type Pokemon move at, leaving afterimages of itself as it moved, raising its left front arm to strike Altaria as it closed in. At it through its arm forward, Altaria completed the dance once again, disappearing with its advanced speed.

The eyes of the Iron Leg Pokemon widen in shock before it was suddenly hit from above by Altaria, smashing it into the ground before Altaria took off into the skies with another squawk.

"Grr, her Altaria is too fast for Metagross now." Grace noted, seeing that not even Metagross moving at its highest speed to hit Altaria. "I have to do something now."

'How do you like that Grace?' Meegan said with a smirk. "Now let's see how she does with this. Altaria, take it down with Fire Blast again!"

Altaria gave another shouted before opening its mouth wide, unleashing another blast of flames onto Metagross.

"Block it out with Psychic Metagross." Grace called out, watching as it took on a blue outline again to protect it from the powerful fire attack. "Oh no."

Metagross' protective shield couldn't hold out against the increased power of the Fire Blast, effectively damaging Metagross who wasn't taking the flames too well.

"Forget protecting yourself, get rid of the flames!" Grace said quickly. Metagross did as it was told, but the damage was evident on its body. Underneath its body as well as its legs had been scorched.

"This is getting bad, I can't keep battling Altaria with its stats so high. I'll have to sacrifice Metagross to take out Altaria." Grace said to herself. "Metagross, hold down Altaria with Psychic!"

Metagross groaned before its eyes gained a blue hue, followed by Altaria body gaining an outline of the same color. Altaria let out a shout of discomfort as its limbs refused to obey.

"Now get it with Meteor Mash!" Grace ordered. Metagross took off in a charge toward Altaria who it had dragged down to the field, preparing to finish it with one blow to the head.

"Altaria, blow it away with Fire Blast!" Meegan ordered since Metagross' Psychic attack wouldn't be able to hold down both Altaria and an attack.

Altaria tried to cocked its head back to unleash the attack before it remembered it was frozen in place. With no other choice, Altaria opened its mouth as Metagross closed in, allowing the flames to pour out of its mouth. Thrusting its arm forward, Metagross pierced through the flames, smashing its arm into Altaria's head, the flames pouring out its mouth raining down onto Metagross.

It took a few minutes for the flames to clear away, but when they were gone, the ref inspected both Pokemon.

"Both Altaria and Metagross are unable to battle!" The ref shouted as the fans applauded for the battle.

"What a rare sight, a double knock out in the battle!" The announcer shouted. "You all know what that means, its time for a second Clash!"

Both trainers withdrew their Pokemon from the field, thanking them for the effort they put forth during the battle before looking toward each other. With a nod to the other, both of the girls could tell which Pokemon they were going to use. Their oldest and closest partner Pokemon.

"Trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted, raising the flags. It was rare for a crowd to become noisy during a match, but Grace and Meegan were keeping things interesting, and the fans couldn't stay silent during a match like this.

Chucking their Poke-balls onto the field, Grace's eyes widened as Meegan had managed to mimic the random spin she had put on her Poke-ball, creating an even Clash with an even larger display of sparks then their first Clash. The stadium roared as two Pokemon appeared on the field,

They had both selected a fire type, Grace calling out her Arcanine while Meegan had released a slim black, four legged Pokemon a long tail and a pair of horns. The two Pokemon barred their fangs at each other, breathing out a small burst of flames with each breath.

"Match continue!"

"Houndoom/Arcanine, use Flame Thrower!"

Both Fire types opened up their mouths with a roar, releasing a powerful fire type attack. The intense flames of Houndoom was properly countered by Arcanine's, the two attacks pushing against each other before swerving out in all directions. The fans cheered as the two Pokemon continued for a few moments, testing the others stamina.

"Enough of this, Houndoom use Sunny Day!" Meegan ordered as the duo of Fire types ended their first attack.

Firing a yellow sphere of energy into the air high above the battlefield, a new light source was created that was far brighter than that of the lights that lit up the stadium.

"Now let's use Flame Thrower again!"

"Arcanine, use Flame Thrower too!"

The two attacks were even larger in size then the first time, and their power had increased drastically. The heat of the flames meeting was intense, and the fans closest to the field were feeling high temperature that had been created from the two attacks mixing.

"Houndoom, get moving with Agility!"

"Arcanine, use Extreme Speed!"

The all out battle between the two transferred from a battle of power to a high speed precision battle as the two Pokemon raced around the field as nothing more than a blur of the color of their fur. Neither managed to land a clean hit on the other as they bounced around the field, this being proof that their speed was completely even.

"Alright Arcanine, use Heat Wave!"

"Houndoom, counter with Heat Wave."

This time the result of the two attacks meeting was hurricane of orange, flaming that was actually creating a strong breeze that forced many of the fans to hold onto their hats and other objects to make sure they weren't taken away by the winds.

"What a match!" The announcer exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement as he watched the two Pokemon duke it out with all their speed and strength.

Both Grace and Meegan could see that all these Fire type attacks were draining the strength of their Pokemon, but this match was quickly becoming something that both of them couldn't help but smile at as they battled each other.

"Arcanine, get it with Thunder Fang!"

"Houndoom, take in the Heat Wave using Fire Fang and then attack!"

Houndoom opened up its mouth, the remaining orange winds from the Heat Wave's getting sucked into its fangs which caused its orange fangs to become a deep red. Arcanine snarled at Houndoom, electricity crackling from its mouth as the two of them raced toward other. Arcanine, being the large of the two of them, attacked from above while Houndoom came from below. Both bit down onto the torso of the other, Arcanine landing a good bite onto Houndoom's back while Houndoom sunk its teeth into Arcanine's extended neck.

Both continued to snarl and growl at the other as the effects of their fang attacks began, Houndoom being enveloped in a yellow halo while Arcanine was absorbed in a fiery aura. After a few moments, of this, both of them released their hold on the other to stumble backward from the damage, Houndoom obviously experiencing more pain than Arcanine.

"Shake it off Houndoom and use Solar Beam!" Meegan shouted, a large smile on her face. She had never felt like this during a battle. She was having fun. Too much fun.

"Arcanine, use Extreme Speed to dodge it and then attack with a second Thunder Fang!" Grace yelled, wearing a similar expression to Meegan.

Charging up a Solar Beam at an accelerated pace thanks to the Sunny Day, Houndoom's attack was prepared in time to ward off Arcanine before it could attack, but as it fired the beam from its mouth, Houndoom discovered that Arcanine had only taken a small leap to pounce onto it. Arcanine landed on top of Houndoom, chomping down on its back once more where it sent a strong electrical current into its opponent's body, brutally shocking Houndoom for a good fifteen seconds before Arcanine released it.

Jumping backward, Arcanine was panting as it watched Houndoom groan, resting on its stomach.

"Come one Houndoom, we can do this!" Meegan shouted to her partner who struggled to its feet, growling at is rose up.

'Wow, Houndoom has gotten really tough since the last time we battled.' Grace noted, pleased that the battle could continue.

"Houndoom, Heat Wave!" Houndoom gave a pained snarl before it fired its attack toward Arcanine.

"Arcanine, let's go with Heat Wave too!" Arcanine unleashed its attack as well, the two of them meeting with the same result as the time before, but as the two continued, the electrical damage that had built up on Houndoom took its toll, weakening the strength of its Heat Wave attack.

"Houndoom, stay strong!" Meegan called out, but when Arcanine took note of Houndoom's dwindling power, in strengthened its own attack, pushing the tornado of fiery winds onto Houndoom, surrounding the Pokemon in the attack.

"Enough Arcanine, its over!" Grace yelled, ending the attack. When the tornado cleared, Houndoom's unconscious form which had been picked up by the winds fell to the ground in a heap.

"Houndoom is unable to battle! The winner is Arcanine and Grace!" The ref announced, raising the blue flag for Grace who practically screamed in delight before rushing onto the field to thank her Arcanine for a job well done.

"And she's done it! The Little Princess of Johto has overtaken the Queen and seized the top!" The entire stadium exploded with cheers. Not a single spectator could control themselves after the match they just saw.

After returning her Houndoom to its Poke-ball, Meegan walked up to Grace at the center of the battlefield, where she congratulated her on her victory before the two embraced in a hug.

"What sportsmanship! These two of have truly set the bar high for the rest of today's matches! How will or next match between Blake and Matt compare to this one?" The announcer asked as both Blake and Matt, wherever they were located in the stadium, cracked whatever joints they could before smiling in anticipation of their match.

* * *

><p>"Now we have the second Match of day 2, between the two rookies of the tournament. Both came like a rocket out of nowhere, one of them taking down a Regional Champ while next has been to a miracle trainer! In the red box we have the Cannonball Rookie of Johto, Blake!" The announcer yelled, pointing toward the west entrance where Blake came out walking casually with his hands in his pocket.<p>

Taking his spot, Blake took a good look around the people cheering for him. He had managed to tune out all their cheers, putting all his concentration on the match ahead.

"And now we have the boy that conquered Sinnoh, and hotshot Rookie from Hoenn, Matt!" Despite being the person to knock out the Regional Champ of Sinnoh, many of the fans were rooting for Matt as he came running to his spot on the battlefield, waving to the fans of Sinnoh that had accepted him overnight. "Can these two trainers keep the fire alive after that amazing match we just witnessed?"

"Trainers, are you ready to commence?" The ref asked, neither of them giving him a reply in any way, shape or form. The ref was slightly unnerved by this, but continued anyway. "Trainers, Clash!"

Blake and Matt selected the first Pokemon they'd use from their belt, launching it onto the field. The two boys had chosen to use a Power Ball for their Clash, and contact was astonishing. When they met, a white doom formed with a sonic boom, kicking up a huge dust cloud around the field which gained many shouts of amazement from the crowd.

"What a Clash!" The announcer exclaimed, the crowd roaring with approval to the already epic start.

Blake and Matt smirked even though they couldn't see each through the dust cloud as the dome faded. Two large silhouettes could be seen in the dust cloud as it was blown away, revealing two exceptionally powerful Pokemon that were recognized globally as a powerhouse Pokemon.

"Match begin!" The ref shouted.

"Tyranitar/Aggron, use Earthquake!" Blake and Matt shouted in unison.

Both Pokemon gave a loud, long roar before the field began to shake, slowly at first but it quickly became violent and sporadic.

The fans ducked down in their seats, waiting for the shaking to begin in their seats, but it never came. Unknown by most of the fans, all Battle Domes are built with resistance panels underneath the field to contain attacks such a Earthquake so that no collateral damage is caused to the Battle Dome beside the field which can easily be repaired or replaced.

Blake and Matt struggled to maintain their footing as both Aggron and Tyranitar continued the attack, tearing apart the field as time passed. Eventually the attacks subsided, leaving both Tyranitar and Aggron heavily damaged from the super effective attack, but it looked as though neither of them were going to give up from just that exchange.

"Tyranitar, let's get this going with the Modified Dark Pulse!" Blake called out, watching as Tyranitar raised its arm over its head, charging up a Dark Pulse in the shape of a disk which it then hurled at Aggron.

"Aggron, get rid of it with Shadow Claw." Matt ordered. Aggron raised his right arm as well, its massive hand becoming surrounded in a dark aura which quickly took the shape of a large paw with three long sharp claws. Using the claws to obliterate the Dark Pulse, Aggron made a charge toward Tyranitar, unaffected by the destroyed field that was in its path.

"Tyranitar, counter with Dragon Claw!" Blake commanded, getting a nod from his partner who igniting its hands in purple flames before charging toward Aggron.

The two met at the center of the battle field, starting off with a push match where they slammed their hands together, releasing a shockwave that blew some of the debris back a few feet as they tried to push the other back. The two separated, taking on step back before they stepped forward again, slamming their shoulders against each others.

This was where their differences became evident. Tyranitar's raw power against Aggron's pure defense evened out the damage taken and given. The two broke apart again, beginning to attack with the use of their enhanced claws in a close quarters exchange. While Aggron was bobbing and weaving to avoid Tyranitar's direct attacks, Tyranitar was utilizing a sway to avoid Aggron's attacks.

As the exchange between the Pokemon continued, the fans took note of Blake and Matt battling like their Pokemon, Matt hunched over with his hands in front of his face using the basics of boxing while Blake was swaying like Tyranitar, lashing out from time to time with an attack.

"Aggron, take it down with Iron Tail!" Matt yelled.

"Tyranitar, use Fire Fang and bring it down with you!" Blake shouted.

Aggron moved, raising its tail to strike, but Tyranitar chased after it, opening up its mouth where it had a pair of flaming fangs. Grabbing onto Aggron's shoulder, Tyranitar tugged it toward itself where it managed to sink its teeth into Aggron's neck, coating its body with flames. But Aggron persevered through the pain of the Fire type attack and swung its tail at Tyranitar's stomach, landing the attack.

Tyranitar froze from the hit, a low growl escaping from its mouth before it released Aggron, collapsing onto its back. Aggron looked down at Tyranitar with look of disdain before it fell backward as well, hitting the ground with a very large thud considering its weight.

"B-both Pokemon are unable to battle!" The ref declared. Today was definitely his lucky day seeing two double knockouts.

The volume of the fans jumped up to a new level, praising the two powerhouse Pokemon for their fighting spirit.

"Two double knockouts in one day. You're witnessing one of the rarest treats the Battle Circuit has to offer folks!" The announcer stated, his enthusiasm clearly coming through in his voice.

"Trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted after Blake and Matt had returned their Pokemon, selecting their next to go into battle with. The boys gave each other a nod before pelting their Poke-ball's onto the field, this time the two of them using a Spin Counter combined with a Hook.

There were a glorious show of sparks that lit up the arena before the Pokemon were released on the field, Absol observing its latest opponent which happened to be a Weavile. Both gave each other a long hard stare before Blake stared the battle.

"Absol, start off with Agility! Then use Night Slash but focus the energy into your horn." Blake commanded.

"Weavile, use Agility too. Then attack using Crush Claw!"

Both Pokemon took off, using the new set up of the field for instant direction changes and areas to rebound off of if they were sent tumbling from an attack. Whenever the two of the met, their was a clear slicing sound that marked where they had met, either from Weavile's claws when it landed an attack or Absol's horn. After a few minutes of the fast paced battle with the crowd cheering, Absol and Weavile had a head on collision which stopped their fast movements, both pausing to observe the other.

Weavile only had a few cuts on its body, but they were deep and it was obvious that they were causing the Sharp Claw Pokemon a lot of pain as it held its side. Absol was coated smaller scratches that were pretty shallow, but the constant stinging all over its body was a large source of irritation to the Disaster Pokemon.

"Absol, use Razor Wind!"

"Weavile, use Ice Shard!"

While Weavile's attack had been fired first, when Absol launched its Razor Wind attack, the blades of wind demolished most of the Ice Shard before continuing toward Weavile. Weavile was knocked clean off its feet by the Razor Wind while the remaining shards of ice embedded themselves in Absol's torso, getting a pained howl from the white furred Pokemon.

"Absol, stay strong and follow through with Shadow Claw." Blake ordered.

"Weavile, don't fall!" Matt shouted, causing Weavile to catch itself before it fell, remaining on its feet. "Good, now use Faint Attack!"

Absol and Weavile charged toward the other, Absol lunging at the Sharp Claw Pokemon to impale it with its darkened claws, but as it landed the attack, Weavile disappeared, avoiding the hard hit. Appearing to its right, Weavile landed a hard blow to Absol's side which sent in skidding on its feet to it right, Absol stubbornly remaining on its feet as it glared at Weavile. Absol snarled before jumping at Weavile again, but the same thing happened, but this time Absol was sent down to the ground on its side with a howl.

'This isn't looking do good for use. That Faint Attack won't miss while it forces Absol to miss. To counter that I'm really going to have to put Absol's reflexes to the test.' Blake noted. "Absol, charge up a Razor Wind and only fire one blade of wind, keep the rest of the energy in your horn."

'He used this to end that Toxicroak yesterday, I better watch carefully.' Matt said to himself as Absol fired a single blade of wind toward Weavile who evaded the attack using Faint Attack.

"Now concentrate!" Blake said. Closing its eyes, Absol tuned out the cheers of the fans, following Weavile's fast footsteps. It was coming from the left.

"Sol!" It growled sharply, placing its horn in the path of Absol's attack. Blocking the attack before it thrusted its horn forward, firing the remainder of the Razor Wind attack at close range into Weavile who couldn't escape. Weavile was sent sailing across the field, straight into the wall of the stadium where it left a body print before it fell to the ground, its eyes replaced with swirls.

The ref declared Absol the winner and Matt let out a heavy sigh that went unheard by everyone as the fans cheered. Matt remained silent and still, his hands on his hips as he shook his head. Then he began to laugh.

"This is the most fun I've had in a while Blake!" He shouted, but Blake couldn't hear him.

"Match continue!"

Selecting his final Pokemon, Matt gave it a light toss on to the field, releasing the Pokemon he has since his childhood.

"Ludi!" Ludicolo shouted happily, beginning to hop from one leg to another, performing its little dance.

"Absol, let's make this quick, use Razor Wind but keep it in your horn." Blake ordered.

"Ab-sol!" It barked, beginning to sprint toward Ludicolo, its horn becoming a bright white.

"Ludicolo, dodge it and use Drain Punch!" Matt shouted. As Absol neared Ludicolo, the Carefree Pokemon waited on one leg, allowing Absol to graze it, but as it did, Ludicolo spun on that one leg. Using the built up momentum, Ludicolo made a full three sixty to maximize the damage it could cause when it landed the Drain Punch to Absol's torso which sent the Disaster Pokemon flying. "Now follow with Hydro Pump!"

"Absol, look out!" Blake hollered at his Pokemon, but Absol couldn't move at all. The cannon of water picked it up off the ground, sending it flying across the field. Absol's body was forcibly pushed through several of the rocks that had been uprooted during the Earthquake, finishing it off.

"Absol is unable to battle!" The ref proclaimed. "Match continue."

Blake now figured out what Matt had said as he returned Absol its Poke-ball. And he was having fun too. Enough thinking and strategizing, he was just going to battle it out with Matt.

"Gallade, I'm betting everything on you." Blake said, releasing the Blade Pokemon onto the field.

"Gal." It muttered, putting out both its arms before extending its elbows, a sign that it was ready to begin.

"Ludicolo, use Razor Leaf!"

"Gallade, cut your way through with Leaf Blade."

Ludicolo leaned forward, launching dozens of crescent shaped leaves toward Gallade from the hat on its head. Gallade charged into the oncoming onslaught, its arms taking on a green glow. Slicing and dicing the Razor Leaf attack, Gallade made its own path through the fray before closing in on Ludicolo.

"Use Poison Jab!" Blake added now that they were in Gallade's area of expertise. Hand to hand combat.

Gallade's hand gained a purple aura now as it thrust its right arm forward toward Ludicolo's face, but as it hit Ludicolo, the Carefree Pokemon shifted all its weight onto one leg to avoid the attack.

"Get it with Drain Punch!" Matt yelled.

The exchange began with nothing but back and forth punching match, Gallade using the sway like how Blake had taught it, but Ludicolo was practically dancing to avoid Gallade's attacks. And the dance was proving to very effective with how easily Ludicolo was dodging Gallade's fast combinations.

"Gallade, transition to Psycho Cut!" Blake ordered, hoping to break the equilibrium with this close range special attack. Ludicolo gained a wide smile as Gallade swung its arm in a horizontal arc, firing a pink crescent from its arm toward Ludicolo who was no less than three feet away. 'We got it.'

As the attack was about to hit Ludicolo, it leaned back until its body was parallel to the ground, allowing it to avoid the frontal attack. But the Ludicolo shot back at Gallade, reeling back its fist for a Drain Punch.

"Lade!" The Blade Pokemon gasped as it was bashed in the face by Ludicolo which sent it stumbling backward.

"Ludicolo, use this opportunity to land an Ice Beam."

"Ludi!" It shouted, firing three cyan color beams at Gallade's feet which the Blade Pokemon failed to avoid, resulting in its legs being frozen to the ground.

"Now use Hydro Pump!"

"Gallade, block it using Psycho Cut!" Blake shouted.

Gallade barely completed the Psycho Cut in time, but when it fired the attack, it parted the Hydro Pump which prevent the water from hitting Gallade directly. The crescent continued toward Ludicolo through the water, heading in for a direct hit to Ludicolo's face.

"Ludicolo!" The Carefree Pokemon shouted as it was knocked to the ground with a hard thud, holding its face in pain.

"Gallade, use Swords Dance and then break free of that ice." Blake ordered while Ludicolo was down. They would need a stat boost if they were going to take down Ludicolo. Gallade's arms became reflective and sharper before it smashed the ice, easily shattering it. "Now let's get it with Poison Jab again, and this time try to read through Ludicolo's attack patterns."

Gallade gave Blake a nod before dashing toward Ludicolo who had just risen to its feet, preparing another Drain Punch under Matt's command. The two of the entered another exchange like the one at the beginning of the battle, but this time it had become a slug fest as they two of them beat away at each other. While Gallade was causing some serious damage with the use of Poison Jab, Ludicolo was constantly healing itself with the use of Drain Punch which greatly lengthened how long this lasted. All of this was taking place while Matt and Blake continued to reenact the battle between their Pokemon from their respective box.

"What?" Matt exclaimed as Ludicolo stumbled backward after getting socked in the gut. The even trade off of punches had finally been broken when Ludicolo no longer had the stamina to continue its dance which allowed Gallade to take full control.

"Don't stop Gallade, keep going!" Blake said loudly. The Blade Pokemon continued forward, throwing straight which Ludicolo avoided, beginning to bob and weave as Matt taught it to in case they got into a battle were couldn't keep dancing to avoid attacks.

"That's right Ludicolo, this isn't over yet." Matt said, taking same orthodox stand Ludicolo had taken, mimicking his Pokemon as it evaded Gallade's torrent of frontal attacks with only a little struggle. The trading of punches continued with the fans cheering, neither landing a solid hit for a short period of time.

Finally, it appeared as though Ludicolo's stamina had run out completely as it dropped its arms to its sides, breathing heavily. As Gallade stepped in for the finish, Ludicolo threw out one last reckless punch which Gallade dodged before landing a hook to Ludicolo's temple. Turning on its toes and putting its entire body into the punch as it shifted its weight, Gallade flipped Ludicolo with that one punch, sending the Carefree Pokemon to the ground head first with a thud.

The ref had to take a few moments to find his way through the heavily damaged field. Gallade and Ludicolo had ducked it out in the single flat area in the middle of the field that Tyranitar and Aggron had created. Finding a heavily bruised Gallade waiting on one knee, the ref spotted Ludicolo who was resting on its sides, its eyes replaced with swirls.

"Ludicolo is unable to battle, Gallade and Blake are the winners." The ref declared, raising the red flag for Blake who was a bit stunned himself. This win felt different from the rest. Like he had truly fought with a trainer evenly from start to finish. It felt good.

Dropping down to his knees, Blake closed both his hands into tight fists before giving out a shout to the ceiling that couldn't be heard by the fans as they gave the match a standing ovation.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 35. <strong>**Blake and Matt finally meet in one explosive battle right from the get go after the battle for Johto between Meegan and Grace. It's one incredible match after another, and Grace and Blake come out on top, meaning the two of them will be battling each other next. But with Blake refusing to help Lana with the issue going on in Spear Pillar, what dangers lurk around the location of the IBF Finals?**

****So what did you think of the battles? Were they good to any of you guys, because when I look back at them I thought these were some of the best I've put out in a while. Please Review tell me what you think, cause I'd really like to know what anyone's thinking when they're reading this. ****

****R & R****


	36. IBF Finals Pt 4

Chapter 36

The cheers, the applause, the screaming wouldn't stop as Matt and Blake remained in their boxes, staring at the end result of the battle. Ludicolo lay on the ground, remaining completely still while Gallade was down on one knee, struggling to stand on its own.

After a few more moments passed, Matt dashed out onto the field, finding his way through the heavily damaged field, eventually finding his way to Ludicolo. The teenager dropped to his knees beside his downed Pokemon, checking to see if it had been truly knocked out. He wasn't going to argue with the ref, but he wanted to see it for himself.

"Thank you Ludicolo. That was an amazing battle and you did your best." Matt said in a whisper to his Pokemon before taking its Poke-ball of its belt, lifting it up to return Ludicolo to safety. Lowering his head, Ludicolo's Poke-ball fell out of Matt's hands, dropping down onto the ground beside him. Then Matt dropped his fist down onto the ground angrily, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. "You guys were amazing out there, but in the end we still lost. Damn it!"

Noticing that someone was casting a shadow over him, Matt looked up to find Blake standing in front of him, with his hand outstretched toward him. Matt looked down for a moment before reaching up for Blake's hand, locking their hands together by the thumbs. Blake gave Matt a tug, bringing him up to his feet before pulling him close.

"That was definitely the best battle I've ever had." Blake whispered to Matt who miraculously heard what he said despite the volume of the audience. Blake then took his next arm and put around Matt's body to hit his back twice.

Matt did the same, and then they separated to dap their fists together which gained a huge cheer from the crowd. Exhuastion washed over both trainers which resulted in the two of them putting an arm around the others neck, using each other as support to remain standing. They were truly tired from the battle, mentally and somewhat physically. Their hearts still hadn't slowed down.

Even though Blake was the winner, both trainers rose their unused arm into the air, causing the crowd to chant the names of both trainers, thanking them for the amazing battle.

Up in one of the booths used solely by critics, one person in particular was pressing his face against the window. He had been trying to get a close to the battle as possible.

"Those two trainers, remember there names." The dark haired man said, getting odd looks from everyone in the silent room. "They will some of the future leaders in the Battle Circuit."

"Two teenagers?"

"Don't forget, I was barely nineteen when I became Champion. I wouldn't be surprised to see someone younger than me manage to become the Champ once I'm done."

In the stands, two trainers that were well acquainted with Blake were staring at their friend. They were quite happy for Blake's most recent victory in the IBF Tourney, but they were also envious of how much progress he had made since the Rookie Kings.

"Can you believe it? He might win the whole thing Mari." Robbie exclaimed.

"I know. Imagine if he did win. We'd have to work insanely hard to even think of getting a chance to battle him again." Mari agreed. "He really left us in the dust."

"We just became A-Class trainers while he's battling to become the first contender to the IBF Title. It's like we're worlds apart." Robbie said rather quietly. Neither of them would admit it, but they were jealous. They began to think that if they were the one to win the Rookie Kings, they might be the one standing at the threshold of the IBF throne instead of Blake.

"Amazing! That was amazing! Those two Rookies-hmm, I can't call them Rookies after a match like that! These two shooting stars came out with their engines going at full throttle from the beginning to give a match we'll never forget!" The announcer went on, his voice barely being heard over the applause.

Eventually Matt and Blake separated, leaving through the corridor that had entered the stadium with. But both trainers were rudely attacked by the paparazzi who wasted no time taking pictures of the boys before they were questioned by multiple news reporters who were hounding them with cameras.

"What do you want?" Blake asked with a glare as he tried to push his way through the crowd.

"Blake, Blake! How do you feel after winning what appeared to be your toughest match yet?" One voice called out over the others, everyone else quieting down for him to speak.

"I feel just fine and dandy." He replied in a deadpan, not even giving them a lip service to spice up the interview. But in truth, their was a lot Blake could say about the match, but the flashing red light on the cameras made him think otherwise.

"And how to do you feel know that your next opponent is another person that conquered a Regional Champion?" Someone else shouted.

"I'm still going to win. That's all there is to it."

Breaking free from the reporters, Blake began to sprint to escape the mob. As he rounded the corner, Blake bumped into a human wall with a grunt which sent him to the ground with a thud. Glaring up at the group, he found that each of them held a soda bottle filled with a dark liquid.

"Blake, so good to see you again." A voice called out as the wall separated, revealing a large man that was owner of Poke-Cola, one of the largest soda companies on the globe. "I need you to taste this and say these words to the cameras."

The wide man motioned to a Machoke that was holding a large white board with Blake's lines written in black magic marker. It read 'Wow, this tastes amazing. I've never tasted anything like it.'

"So go ahead and taste it." He said, motioning for Blake to take on of the bottles from any of the men.

Blake just shrugged before looking one of the bottles. What did he have to lose?

"Hah, cameras? How unexpected!" The larger man exclaimed, putting up a front when the media arrived.

"Is Blake going to try your latest creation?" One of the reporters asked.

"He sure is, and I'm sure he's going to love it too." Everyone became silent when Blake performed a spit take.

"Ugh, what is this junk?" Blake asked, looking toward the company owner as he recapped the bottle. "This stuff tastes terrible."

The large company owner's jaw dropped as Blake returned to the bottle to him with a neutral expression.

"Make it better." Was all he said before leaving the group, the camera's chasing after him.

* * *

><p>"Blake!" Grace yelled, barging into his room without any concern to if he was decently dressed or not. Luckily, Blake was only shirtless, preparing to take a shower since the remaining two matches of the day wouldn't be taking place for another hour.<p>

"What?" He asked in return, continuing to search his room for a towel.

"Aren't you going to help Lana? She told me the passage to Spear Pillar has been sealed. You have to help her." Grace said.

"Does that mean you'd be willing to help her right now instead of preparing for you match tomorrow?" Blake asked, recalling the fact that he would be Grace's next opponent. Grace remained silent, unable to respond.

After beating Meegan J, Grace on top of the world, and she planned to continue her winning streak. But with Lana's sudden appearance, it looked as though there was something more important than the IBF Finals. As usual, Blake managed to corner her with ease.

"Would you be willing to do the same thing?" Grace asked in return, patting herself on the back in the hope that she had flipped the situation and put Blake in the spotlight.

"No." Blake said simply. Grace deadpanned as she stared at him.

"You're joking, right?" She asked.

"No." Grace had been traveling with Blake for quite some time now, and she was now starting to see that he was just as stubborn as he was when he was younger.

"Alright then Blake, you leave me no choice. Let's make a bet on our match tomorrow. If I win, you have to help Lana right after your match." Grace declared, pointing at him with a fierce expression.

"And if I win, you leave me alone until the Finals are over." Blake shot back, his eyes matching the intensity in Grace's.

**10/23/0046/Night**

**Dining Room**

A rather sleepy Blake entered the small room that had been designated for participants in the Finals that was similar to that of a five star restaurant. There were only four tables available, and three of them were currently in use.

Grace was at her own table, quietly sipping a glass of water as she studied to other two people in the room.

Griffen sat alone, his head resting in the palm as of his hand and he smiled at Grace who refused to return his smile. The other remaining competitor was Beck Langings, the Kanto Champ, and he was stuffing his face with the spread of food that had been laid out before. Both Griffen and Beck had conquered their opponents with ease, and while Blake could care less about Griffen's opponent, Roy had been knocked out of the running by Beck.

It didn't really bother him that Roy had been taken out, but since that guy had a Crest. Blake couldn't deny that there was a little voice in the back of his head that was bugging him about that. Observing his opponents, Blake could feel each of their aura's surrounding them.

Beck's aura was fierce, matching the presence of a wild Luxray that was ready to attack unless it was eating. He was famed for many one hit KO's through out his Battle Circuit career. This was credited to his training style where he took his Pokemon's strength and trained that to max while ignoring their weaknesses. He was an all or nothing risk taker that was willing to put everything on the line for the win.

Grace's aura was energetic and free spirited. She was known for battling with a great flexibility in tight situations, many of these resulting in her victories when everything looked as though the odds were against her. With her young age and successful Battle Circuit career, Grace had earned her title as the Little Princess of Johto by conquering many big name trainers with her unrestricted battling style, proving to everyone that age never matters when it comes to Pokemon battles.

Griffen's aura was like a puzzle to Blake, a ball of confusion. He was always smiling, but when he was battling Malichi Summers in the first round of the Finals, Blake could feel just how powerful Griffen truly was when he became serious. He had been toying with Malichi for the first part of the battle, but when Malichi almost pulled the rug from under him, Griffen became very serious, taking completely control of the battle. His name was known by many as the Eternal Genius of Hoenn, and with his victory over the Hoenn Champ, many began to believe that he would truly become a fearsome trainer as his career continued.

Blake took a seat at his table, one of the waiters approaching him to take his order. He had been hungry the entire afternoon while he was training, but being surrounded by each of these trainers, Blake's appetite was gone. He would still eat, but his excitement made it difficult for him to enjoy the meal fully. These next two days would hold some of his best battles yet, it didn't matter who his opponents were.

**10/24/0046/Late Morning**

"The Inter-regional Battle Federation would like the present the day three of the Finals, were a competition of more than forty thousand trainers has finally come down to the final four!"

The already packed stadium had been filled to the point where people were fighting over a spot to stand in the booths that were normally used for critics, but with the amount of revenue that was coming in, the sponsors of the Finals wanted to get out as many tickets as possible during the last two days. The attention given to the Finals was four times that of the previous years since a large number of strong trainers had appeared during this one. The Battle Circuit was quickly become the leading televised event in the world because of this year's IBF Tourney.

The stadium was practically shaking from the cheers as the announcer motioned for the crowd to show their approval for the next match.

"So today we have two awesome matches coming your way. The first one is between the Powerhouse Champion of Kanto, Beck Langings, and the Eternal Genius of Hoenn, Griffen!" The announcer went on. "And then we have the Cannonball Prodigy, Blake! Vs the Little Princess of Johto, Grace!"

The fans went on for some time before they were silenced by the lights of the of the entire stadium shutting off before one single spotlight was turned on, aimed down at the announcer below.

"The trainers are ready now. So we'll get the first match underway!" The announcer shouted, pointing upward at the ceiling which was the cue for the multiple spotlights to turn on which converged onto the west entrance. "In the red box, presenting a young trainer from the Hoenn Region who has come all the way to the top of the IBF, the boy who beat the Regional Champion of Hoenn with one Pokemon only, the Eternal Genius of Hoenn, Griffen!"

The fans began to chant his name, the people who were true Griffen fans coming with homemade t-shirts, headbands and flags that they were waving proudly. The teenager came running out into the stadium, waving to the fans as the spotlights followed him to his box.

"And in the blue box. Presenting the Regional Champion of Kanto, the one hit wonder dude from Viridian City, the Powerhouse Champion of Kanto, Be~ck Langings!" The stadium erupted with cheers as the spotlights moved toward the east entrance where Beck came rushing out, his messy brown held up by a headband to prevent it from falling in front of his eyes. This was a sign that he truly acknowledged Griffen as an opponent who could defeat him in a direct battle.

"This is sure to be quite and interesting battle between these two trainers. Between Beck's Pokemon that have a huge emphasis on power to Griffen's unpredictable battling style and Pokemon, you never know who will drop first." Two critics were in the announcer's box, shooting the breeze as they waited for the battle to start.

"It's impossible to tell who's going to win." The other noted.

"So let's get this battle started!" The announcer said as he retreated the field, leaving the ref to raise his flags.

"This will be a two on two Pokemon battle! Trainers, Clash!"

'Those two trainers, Blake and Matt from yesterday had an amazing Clash. I have to do better than they did.' Griffen said to himself as he tightly gripped Magmortar's Poke-ball.

Beck gave Griffen a confident nod before the two of them gave their Poke-balls a hard throw onto the field, and after they met with a loud bang, a large white dome was created, kicking up a large dust cloud. Two Power Ball's had met, and this would always be the result.

The fans were quickly becoming absorbed in this battle as the smoke cleared, revealing to red Pokemon that were glaring at each other with their sharp eyes. On Griffen's end was his Magmortar while Beck was using his Scizor. It all appeared as though it was Griffen's favor.

"Battle begin!"

"Scizor, use Swords Dance!" Beck shouted, watching his favorite Pokemon boost its strongest stat even more. The crowd was quick to catch on to Beck's usual plan considering his situation.

"One, hit!" The chant was soft at first, but it quickly began to build up. Everyone loved seeing Beck's strategy work simply because it was a display of his and his Pokemon's destructive, unrivaled power. "One, hit! One, hit!"

The chant continued as Griffen smiled, accepting Beck's challenge. His fame would go through the roof if he could be Beck Langings in a power duel.

"Are ready Scizor?" Beck asked, receiving a nod from his Pokemon. He smiled before throwing his fist forward with a loud shout. "Alright then, then rush in using Agility and take it out with Rock Smash!"

"Get ready Magmortar." Griffen said, closing his eyes for a few moments, Magmortar doing the same.

Scizor took off like a speeding bullet, raising its right arm to land what should be its first and last hit on Magmortar. As Scizor closed in on Magmortar, the Blast Pokemon's eyes snapped open, revealing that they were now lime green, just like Griffen's.

'Fire Punch!' Griffen said mentally, his command reaching Magmortar almost instantly. Magmortar rose its right hand suddenly, wild red flames beginning to spiral around its fist and it threw it toward Scizor as the Pincer Pokemon thrusted its right hand toward Magmortar. A loud thud marked the moment in time when both attacks connected with the cheek of the other Pokemon, the two of them holding their ground for just a moment or two before Griffen roared in pain, clutching his left cheek.

The pain of Scizor's blow to Magmortar's jaw was being experienced by both Pokemon and trainer, and Griffen couldn't bite back the pain he was experiencing. Dropping down to his knees, Griffen refused to stop shouting in pain, but the crowd was unaware of the fact that he was actually screamining in pain.

Magmortar and Scizor who had been frozen finally fell backward, both of them collapsing from the first hits which ended the battle. The fans cheered loudly as the ref declared the two Pokemon unable to battle.

Griffen's screaming had come to an abrupt stop as he stared at his downed Magmortar. He had never seen his partner fall in defeat, and seeing that Beck was responsible for his made him angry. His pain subsided, and Griffen rose to his feet with an enraged expression on his face as thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Up in the single booth that had been saved for the critics, the room was in an uproar with the sudden double knockout. Only one person out everyone present was calm, but he was smiling as they showed a replay of the two Pokemon landing the finishing blow on each other.

"All of you have failed to understand the significance of that." The dark haired critic pointed out, silencing the room which put everyone attention on him. "Beck's approach for his usual one hit KO style was perfect. A large attack boost followed by a speed boost to add momentum damage with a fast and powerful Pokemon equals enough destructive force to knock out a Pokemon in one hit, but Griffen countered that perfectly. If it weren't for the boost from Agility, Scizor would've been the only one to take damage, and Magmortar would be the victor."

"So basically that teenager is more skilled than a Regional Champion?" One of them exclaimed.

"It would seem so."

'This guy, he's the first person to ever counter my one-hit strategy, and make it a draw.' Beck said to himself, his jaw tightening. Everything was riding on his next Pokemon. It was all…or nothing.

The two trainers returned their Pokemon to their Poke-balls before selecting their next Pokemon.

"Trainers, Clash!"

"Raah!" Griffen roared as he chucked his Poke-ball onto the field using the strongest Power Ball he could muster. Beck did the same, but the result was strange. Beck's Poke-ball was sent flying backward when they met, crashing into the stadium wall behind Beck whose eyes became wide. That had never happened before. Every critic who had seen that was astonished. A Power Ball that overpowered another Power Ball was unheard of.

The Pokemon were released onto the field, Beck's heavily damaged Rampardos taking shape in field while Griffen's Cacturne appeared with lime green eyes.

"Match continue!" The ref declared.

"Rampardos, let's finish this now with Head Smash!" Beck shouted. There was no way a Cacturne could take a direct hit from Rampardos, so Beck decided that he would finish this now.

'Dodge using Faint Attack.' Griffen said to Cacturne who simply waited for Rampardos to close in on it before it phased out of existence. Rampardos came to a skidding halt, searching the field for Cacturne who had disappeared from its line of sight a split second before it landed its attack. 'Now use Needle Arm!'

Cacturne appeared in the air to Rampardos' left, landing a swift kick to its face which forced the Rock type Pokemon to stumble to its right a bit before Cacturne dove at its stomach, drilling its glowing right arm into Rampardos which sent it reeling with a screech of pain.

'Don't stop, finish it!' Griffen commanded, watching as his Cacturne raced after Rampardos, landing a long string of attacks onto the Headbutt Pokemon, viciously beating it into the ground.

"Hey, that's enough!" The ref snapped at Cacturne, causing it to stop. Rampardos' struggle had stopped a few moments before, but Cacturne had continued to attack regardless so the ref was forced to put the match to an end himself. "Rampardos is unable to battle, Cacturne is the winner and the match goes to Griffen."

The crowd was in awe. They had just begun to cheer and Griffen ended the match in an instant. Even his match against Malichi Summers wasn't this quick. It was obvious now that his previous wins weren't just a lucky break. Griffen was clearly ready to become a World Class trainer.

"And the Eternal Genius of Hoenn has taken over Kanto as well. This is a major upset. Not only has Griffen knocked out of the Hoenn Champ, but now he's taken down the Kanto Champ as well." The announcer exclaimed. "This is truly one of the strangest IBF Finals I've ever seen. All four Regional Champions have been knocked out of the running without getting to battle each other! We have a group of Champion Killers this year!"

And it was true, this year the IBF Tourney was just full of miracle working underdogs that were doing a fine job of keeping the fans on their toes.

* * *

><p>Blake was in awe as he stared at Griffen who was exiting the stadium with his head held high for his victory over another Regional Champion. He was shaking in his sneakers, and he couldn't deny it. He had never seen such a style executed so perfectly, and he wanted to battle against it himself.<p>

There was no way he was going to let Grace even have a chance of beating him.

Turning on his heels, Blake made his way back into the corridors of the stadium since his match against Grace was only a few minutes a way. He was going to win at all costs.

Moving through the corridors, Blake eventually found himself face to face with the victor of the last match who had just escaped the media. The two of them walked straight past each other without a word.

"I hope you win Blake." Griffen called out, causing Blake to halt.

"Why me?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder at Griffen who had turned around to face him.

"Because Grace has already brought out all the potential she has. She's definitely a World Class trainer, but she's not strong enough to beat me." Griffen said with a smile before pointing at Blake. "But you, you're not even close to using everything you have. You have a ton of untapped potential. Enough to battle me in a world were Pokemon battles go above and beyond what a normal trainer may expierence."

Blake gave him an odd glance.

"Sadly, as you are right now, you'd be no match for me. I hope that while you're battling Grace you'll start to tap into all that potential you have." Griffen continued. "It'd be a damn shame if you were knocked out without showing everyone what your made of."

Griffen gave him a wave before turning away, continuing down the hallway, leaving Blake to absorb that he had said.

Untapped potential? How would Griffen know if he has untapped potential?

Blake could tell from Griffen's last match against Beck, he would certainly be no match for Griffen if he were to battle him now. But if he did have some kind of extra potential, how would he use it?

* * *

><p>"Alright folks, the time as come for the last match of the semi-finals of the IBF Tourney. This battle has the hopes to two young trainers riding on it, and it's sure to be an exciting match!" The announcer began, gaining the full attention of the entire crowd. "Let's do this! Presenting our final match of the day, in the blue box, we have the young girl who pulled off an overwhelming victory on the Johto Champion, the girl who has dethroned the Queen and taken her spot as the Johto Representative, the newly crowned Queen of Johto, Grace!"<p>

The crowd roared for their favorite young female trainer who came out into the stadium waving at the crowd energetically, thanking them for their support.

"And in the red box, we have a rising star from Johto as well, the victor of a match that has one of the highest ratings received in the entire Battle Circuit, the Uncrowned Prince of Johto, Blake!" The announcer and crowd now looked toward Blake's entrance where he came out with a casual walk to his box, focused solely on his match.

'There's something different about him.' Grace said to herself, studying Blake who was definitely giving off a more striking presence than he normally does.

Blake face remained neutral as he stared at Grace. He would have to push his brain to the max in order to unlock whatever it was Griffen was talking about, and Grace would be the perfect opponent to do that.

"This will be a two on two Pokemon battle. Trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted. Both trainers selected their Pokemon and gave the Poke-ball a hard toss onto the field. Both Poke-balls flew on a direct path for the other with a fast spin.

It appeared as though both of them were going to use the Spin Counter, but Grace's Poke-ball swerved out of the course at the last moment before crashing into Blake's from the side. The two Poke-balls grinded against each other for a few moments before bouncing backward in an even clash. Two dual type Pokemon appeared on the field, a Lucario for Grace while Poliwrath was on Blake's end.

"Battle begin!"

"Lucario, use Aura Sphere!"

"Poliwrath, counter with Water Pulse!"

Both Pokemon fired their attacks in an instant, starting off the battle with a rather large explosion of black smoke.

"Poliwrath, let's make this quick, get it with Dynamic Punch!"

"Lucario, go with Force Palm!" Lucario was quick to charge into the smoke, planning to use it as cover to attack Poliwrath, but the Water type Pokemon had the same idea as its opponent. The two of them met in the center of the smoky field, their hands colliding with a loud thud that released a large shockwave that blew away the smoke.

Blake remained unfazed as his hair was blown around wildly while Grace put on arm in front of her eyes as the smoke blew past her.

"Poliwrath, keep going!" Blake called out to his Pokemon, receiving a nod from the Water type before it rose its next arm, poising its glowing fist for a powerful hit. Throwing the punch, Poliwrath remained calm when Lucario quickly directed the punch away from its head by slapping Poliwrath's wrist, but Poliwrath saw this as a opening. Pushing forward with its next hand, Poliwrath forced Lucario backward.

Pursuing Lucario, Poliwrath began to throw out several fast jabs at Lucario who managed to evade the jabs with some expert dodging. The two Pokemon planted their feet and began to throw quick punches and arm thrusts at each other, neither of them managing to hit their mark.

"Lucario, mix in a few Blaze Kicks!" Grace shouted.

"Poliwrath, those won't hurt you so don't back down!" Blake called out.

And with those two commands, the close range battle escalated as blasts of fire were sent launched at Poliwrath who powered through the flames with ease while continuing its attack on Lucario.

'Lucario is faster than Poliwrath in terms of actual speed, but with the footwork I taught Poliwrath its keeping up with Lucario so I have to break this stalemate.' Blake said to himself, analyzing Lucario's movements. It's style was almost flawless, but after picking it apart, Blake could see that Lucario moved in one single pattern that would've been much easier to see if it were for the high speed it could maintain. "Poliwrath, the next time Lucario jumps at you, go for its legs!"

Hearing Blake's orders, Poliwrath took a moment to look around for the Aura Pokemon before it appeared in front of it, prepared to land a swift blow to Poliwrath's body. Dropping to the ground in a crouch, Poliwrath barely escaped the Force Palm before it extended its arm outward, sweeping Lucario off its feet. With the Aura Pokemon resting on its side, Poliwrath took this opportunity to strike from above.

Throwing a Dynamic Punch aimed for Lucario's head, Poliwrath was a bit surprised when Lucario managed to move its head over in time to avoid the attack, resulting Poliwrath's hand breaking into the field. Lucario quickly used this opportunity to escape, barrel rolling away from Poliwrath before jumping to its feet.

"Poliwrath, use Hydro Pump on the field to soften it, then break free." Blake said quickly.

"Lucario, take them down with Extreme Speed!" Grace shouted, seeing this valuable time to attack.

Poliwrath had managed to loosen up the field, but before it could break free to even think about dodging Lucario, it met with the left knee of the Aura Pokemon which sent it stumbling backward. With the drastic increase in speed, Lucario took full control of the battle, attacking on all sides as a dark blur while Poliwrath failed to keep up with its truly superior speed.

'Poliwrath won't be able to take on an assault like that much longer.' Blake noted to himself, watching his Pokemon receiving a constant beating from the fast moving Lucario. It was then Blake made eye contact with Grace, catching the smirk on her face. She was confident that she was going to win. "Poliwrath, start hitting the field with Ice Punch!"

The now bruised and beaten Poliwrath began to hit the field repeatedly with its icy blue fists, creating an expanding sheet of ice. As Lucario sped in for the finisher, Poliwrath landed on powerful blow onto the ice, causing it to spring up from the ground in several spots to which blocked off the Aura Pokemon's attack.

"Lucario, break through that ice with Aura Sphere!" Grace called out.

As Lucario leaped backward the shields of ice, it clapped its hands together before separating them to reveal a glowing blue orb which it then proceeded to fire at Poliwrath's defenses.

While the powerful sphere of energy cracked the ice, it was deflected up into the air, but that wasn't the end of Lucario's attack. Blake's eyes widened as Lucario appeared in the air with the Aura Sphere it had just used, grabbing the ball before beginning its decent toward Poliwrath. The ice defense wouldn't block out and aerial attack, and Lucario's increasing speed meant they only had a little bit of time.

'No! I refuse to lose!' Blake said to himself, his vision becoming blurry as he stared at the field, the sound of every heart beat becoming very loud in his ears. Everything slowed down for Blake as a huge wave of pain washed over his head like a really bad headache. Gritting his teeth, Blake held his head with one hand, trying to maintain his balance as he stared at the field.

He could see everything now. All of it was in black and white, and as plain as day. He could see core of the Aura Sphere Lucario was holding as it slowly fell toward Poliwrath. All of the mental notes he had taken on Poliwrath and Lucario appeared beside the respective Pokemon.

Up in the critic box, a certain dark haired male dropped the small drink he had been sipping in awe as he saw Blake's presence explode out in all directions, beginning to dance like fire.

'This boy…he may just be the person to succeed me as the next World Champion.'

Down on the field, Blake was trying to understand what exactly was going on with this sudden headache as well as the why everything had started to move slowly.

'Is this…the world Griffen was talking about?' Blake asked himself before snapping out of his thoughts. This was no time to get unfocused.

Looking at Poliwarth now, Blake could see there was little time to even try making a move to counter the Aura Sphere.

"Dynamic Punch on the ice, then roll!" Blake called out.

Poliwrath heard his command and got to work. The order was unexpected since Poliwrath had thought that there was now way out, but it Blake was giving it and order, there must've been a possibility.

Poliwrath pummeled the ice with one blow, creating an escape path for itself before it dove forward in a quick roll. Blake watched the scene unfold. Poliwrath's path opened just in time for it to escape with the roll, leaving Lucario to crash into spot Poliwrath had previously been in.

"Now attack!" As Poliwrath returned to its feet, facing Lucario's direction, it made one large leap toward Lucario where it landed a hard haymaker to the Aura Pokemon's jaw which sent it straight into the wall of ice beside it. "Finish it with Hydro Pump!"

"Poli!" Poliwrath unleashed a huge torrent of water from the center of the swirl on its body. Lucario didn't even see the attack coming as it was still in pain from the Dynamic Punch. The blast of water smashed the Aura Pokemon into the ice once again, but the power behind it forced the Pokemon to break through the ice

"Lucario!" Grace screamed when as her partner was sent flying across the field, straight into the stadium wall. Poliwrath didn't let up for a let while to make sure the job was done, and when it did end its Hydro Pump attack, Lucario dropped down to the field with a thud.

"Lucario is unable to battle!" The ref declared, after a quick inspection. "Match continue!"

"Argh, you're going to pay for that one Blake." Grace said to herself as she withdrew her Lucario before selecting her next Pokemon. 'It's all or nothing!'

"Electivire!" The large Electric type Pokemon roared as it appeared on the field.

'I had a feeling it would be Electivire.' Blake said to himself. But surprisingly, he wasn't nervous about being at a disadvantage against Grace's Electivire.

"Electivire, use a large scale Thunder Bolt!" Grace began as he partner roared again before firing over a dozen different bolts of electricity toward Poliwrath.

Blake stared at the approaching attack, taking note of the path each bolt followed, trying to find a spot that Poliwrath could move through to evade the attack, but unfortunately the attack had no openings.

"Poliwrath, use Hydro Pump on the field to get yourself in the air!" Blake said quickly. Poliwrath grunted before pointing itself down at the field, firing another blast of water that pushed it up into the air, escaping the Thunder Bolt attack. "Now use Water Pulse!"

Once it cleared the range of the Thunder Bolt, Poliwrath fired a condensed ball of water toward Electivire from the air above with a shout of its name, planning to take the first hit of the battle.

"Electivire, send it right back with Thunder Wave!" Grace ordered, planning to use the electrical advantage she had over water type moves.

It was at this moment Blake realized the one flaw that came the information overload he was having. Even if he could think faster, his orders couldn't reach Poliwrath fast enough verbally. As he tried to call out the order to dodge the electrically enhanced Water Pulse attack, Poliwrath was hit.

Getting sucked into the orb of water, Poliwrath gave a deep yell of pain as it was brutally zapped by the Thunder Wave before it was fired toward the ground.

"Poliwrath!" Blake hollered at his Pokemon, but it was useless now. The condition it was in right now severely reduced how well Blake could utilize its strengths with his current mindset.

"Finish it with Thunder Bolt!" Grace declared, pointing at Poliwrath who was resting on its stomach, groaning to itself as it tried to overcome the paralysis it was suffering from.

"Elect-ivire!" The Electric type Pokemon roared, releasing all its charged energy as one collective vertical bolt that traveled across the field toward Poliwrath. It was far more powerful than any electrical attack Blake had seen with how it tore up the field with ease as it continued on its course toward its target.

'Good job Poliwrath, take a good rest.' Blake said to himself as Poliwrath disappeared inside the blast of electricity.

"Poliwrath is unable to battle, Match continue!" The ref declared, motioning for Blake to bring out his next Pokemon.

'The smart choice would be to pick Tyranitar, and guarantee my win, but I want to stay in this world a little longer.' Blake said, realizing just how much he was enjoying how cool this battle had gotten. "Ryuu, let's go!"

The large Dragon Pokemon roared as appeared on the field, eyeing its opponent with a dark glare, swinging its tail back and forth.

"Beware Electivire, Blake's Salamence is really strong!" Grace warned her partner who gave her a nod. "Good, then use Focus Blast!"

As Electivire fired the glowing sphere at Salamence, Blake began to observe for any weak points. He would need a piercing attack break right through core, but that wasn't an option when using Salamence.

"Use Dragon Pulse!"

Salamence fired a dark purple orb from its mouth that matched the Focus Blast in size and strength. The two orbs crashed together with a loud explosion that was twice the size of the one caused by Lucario and Poliwrath. Proof of the strength these two Pokemon possessed.

"Electivire, use Focus Blast again! But put all the power you've got into it!" Grace commanded.

"Ryuu, use Dragon Pulse again, but put a horizontal spin on it!" Blake ordered.

Both Pokemon followed the order from their respective trainer, but the results were surprising. With the spin on the Dragon Pulse, the Dragon type attack spun around the Focus Blast, drawing out a portion of its energy before continuing on its path toward Electivire.

"Ryuu, continue with Flame Thrower!" Blake said, seeing that the approaching Focus Blast would still hit its mark. Unleashing the flames from its mouth, Salamence halted the Focus Blast's advance toward it before sending it back toward Electivire who had failed to realize that Salamence's Dragon Pulse had gotten past the Focus Blast.

Taking the Dragon Pulse straight to its stomach, Electivire was sent tumbling backward before hit by its redirected Focus Blast which exploded on contact, sending it sliding backward on its side out of the smoke. The now bruise covered Electivire groaned in pain before it was engulfed in the Flame Thrower attack, its body only appearing as a dark silhouette in the flames. Grace stomped her foot angrily when she heard Electivire's pained shouts.

"Electivire, use Thunder Bolt and blow off those flames!" Grace roared. There was no way she was going to lose.

There was deep roar before the flames parted, revealing Electivire who was surrounding in a electrical halo that was protecting it from the flames.

"We're going to win this match!" Grace declared. "Electivire, charge yourself up with Thunder Bolt!"

"Electivire!" It shouted before the halo around it tripled in size.

'Electivire's special ability is Motor Drive. She's trying to boost its stats to make up for all the damage its taken.' Blake noted Electivire ended its Thunder Bolt attack, wearing a wide smirk as electricity crackled around its body.

"Alright Electivire, take down Salamence with Ice Punch!" Grace commanded proudly, believing that now that odds had tipped in her favor now.

Blake's eyes widen when Electivire began to move. In his slow perspective, Electivire was moving at a normal speed which was probably incredibly fast by normal standards.

"Ryuu, use Flame Thrower on the field!" Salamence opened up its maw, releasing a high quantity of flames that flowed out onto the field like a river of fire. Electivire disappeared from Blake's vision, getting a soft gasp from the male trainer before Salamence roared from a gruesome hit to its body that sent it sliding across the field. 'Damn.'

Electivire was even faster than he thought. Even this new world Blake had entered was probably the limits of the human realm pushed to the max, but a Pokemon could surpass the limits of a human quite often.

Salamence snarled at Electivire, its torso possessing one large spot that had been covered in a thick sheet of ice. A hit like that probably took out a large portion of Salamence's health, and another hit like that would probably be the end of the battle.

"Electivire, use Ice Punch once more!" Grace shouted with a smile, seeing that this truly would be the end of the battle.

"Ryuu, protect yourself with your wings, then use your body to prevent Electivire from getting away!" Blake yelled.

Electivire burst forward again, charging in a straight path toward Salamence who quickly moved one of its large wings into Electivire's path to block it, but Electivire made a sharp turn, disappearing from Blake's vision again.

'Crap!' Blake exclaimed before he thanked Pokemon anatomy for protecting Salamence. Even though Electivire attacked from its side, Salamence had two wings, and it managed to place its second wing in the way just in time to block Electivire.

Salamence growled at Electivire before slipping its tail around the ankle of the large Electric type Pokemon, pulling its feet from beneath it which left Electivire to land on its side.

"Nice Ryuu, now end this with Dragon Pulse!" Blake shouted, seeing that Electivire was wide open and unable to get away.

"Electivire, protect yourself with Thunder Bolt!"

Despite Electivire managing to unleashing a wicked blast of electricity onto Salamence, but with the Dragon Pokemon being part Dragon in terms of type, Salamence preserved through the electrical current and opened its mouth, firing another purple orb at Electivire from close range.

The Dragon Pulse exploded when it hit Electivire, enveloping both Pokemon in thick black smoke that prevented the audience and the participating trainers from seeing the outcome.

Waiting for the cloud to disperse, the ref made his way onto the field where he found Salamence standing next to Electivire who lay on its back, its eyes replaced with swirls.

"Electivire is unable to battle! The winner is Salamence and the match goes to Blake!"

The moment the ref declared that Electivire was unable to battle, the crowd roared, making it impossible for anyone to hear when Blake was the winner.

'I won…' Was all Blake said to himself before the pain from the headache had been experiencing earlier returned but was a lot worse. The sudden wave of pain made Blake notice just how fast his heart had been beating during the battle, but as it slowed down and Blake's nerves began to cool off, Blake's mind returned to its normal state.

Joining his Salamence on the field, Blake thanked the fearsome Pokemon all its effort during the battle.

"And what a surprising turn out! After finally beating Meegan J to claim her spot as the Queen of Johto, Grace has been beaten by another trainer from Johto who has now become the Crowned Prince of the Johto Region!"

"Blake! Blake! Blake! Blake!" The crowd chanted in name, watching as he approached Grace to thank for the amazing battle.

"Excellent Blake. You're exactly what I was looking for." Griffen said to himself with a wide smile. "You'll be the perfect test to see how I'll do against the Golden Flash."

As Blake and Grace went their separate ways to leave the stadium, Blake could only conclude one thing as he thought back to what he experience during the battle. Was that the world Griffen, and maybe even other World Class trainers battled in?

**10/25/0046/Midnight**

**Spear Pillar **

"Perfect, its time to open the portal!" Sander shouted, perched on top the head of the ruler of the Reverse World. Giving one loud laugh, the older gentleman looked around the two large Pokemon beside the one he was standing on. "It's just as it says on Mt Tsugi. "Time, Space and the Reverse will come together, and bring down the Original One!"

The three Legendary Pokemon gave off their distinctive roars that shook the mountain before waiting for Sander's command.

"At last, the time for the Storm to begin has arrived!" Sander declared, noticing a small wave ripple in the air that opened up just enough for him to see a space scenery. "Dialga, use Roar of Time! Palkia, use Special Rend! Aim for the break in the time-space continuum!"

Unleashing their two signature attacks, Giratina roared violently when the attacks met, beginning to move toward the point where the attacks met.

"Heel Giratina!" Sander snapped at the Legendary Pokemon, opening his Crest to level two which gave him control over his respective Legendary partner, forcefully stopping it from advancing any further.

The ripple in space opened further as the two attacks from Dialga and Palkia clashed for a several minutes before the attacks were canceled out by one deep roar that caused Sander's smile to widen.

A Centaur Pokemon peered out of the hole in space, spotting the three Legendary Pokemon that were waiting outside of the portal.

"Arceus! Come to me!" Sander shouted, summoning the Red Chains that he had created a few days before. The glowing red chains appeared around Sander, circling around him as Arceus began to move out of the portal, obviously enraged that someone had disturbed its slumber.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 36. Things are starting to heat up as Blake advances the last match of the IBF Finals, but with the appearance of a few Legendary Pokemon in Spear Pillar, something is sure to take place with Sinnoh Commissioner beginning to take action like the other Commissioners. The Storm approaches...<strong>

**I was pretty proud of these two battles, although neither of them met up with my standard like Blake vs Matt, but now I have an example to beat, so I'll try to make my matches just as and if not better than that match. **

**As for Blake's battle against Grace, he basically unlocked all his potential which allowed him to see the battles in slow motion and analyze the situation to come up with a tactic. Sadly, while Blake is thinking at an extremely fast pace, getting orders out of his mouth won't come out as fast so basically even if Blake can come up with a counter measure, there's no guarentee that Blake's orders will reach his Pokemon in time. But I'm sure you guys will figure out the solution on how Blake can utilize all of his battle potential ( hint : there's an example in Griffen's match ) ;)**

**Anyway, thanks for all the reviews guys, much appreciated! Keep it up and I'll do my best to keep the quality of this fic as high as possible!**

**R & R**


	37. IBF Finals Conclusion

Chapter 37

**10/25/0046/Morning**

**Spear Pillar**

Sander laughed as he stared at the Centaur Pokemon that was resting on its side, a pair of Red Chain's binding its legs together while the other two had been put around the cross like wheel around its body, causing the golden color it normally possessed to become a dark gray.

"Come forth Abyss Arceus!" He shouted, watching as the wheel on Arceus' body began to shine brightly. The separation of Pure Arceus and Abyss Arceus was nearing completion.

**Mt Corenet**

**Battle Dome**

'Something's definitely up with this thing today.' Blake noted, looking down at his right wrist which had lit up in its usual pattern a few minutes before. But the normally gray outline of the pentagon was now an eerie black. Blake wouldn't admit, but this was really bothering him. Maybe something was happening in Mt Corenet. If something really was taking place, this would be like a slap in the face.

But on the other hand, if it could wait until tomorrow after the Finals were finished, or even later today, that would be incredibly convenient.

* * *

><p>"Grace?" Lana asked, looking toward her friend. "Is your Crest open too?"<p>

"Yeah." Grace replied with a nod. "Is your's darker than normal too?"

"Yeah." Lana responded.

This was bad. Lana was sure something was happening in Spear Pillar, and whatever it was, she was certain it involved all of the Crests.

"The moment Blake's match is over, we're going up to Spear Pillar." Lana stated.

"Right." Grace gave her nod.

* * *

><p>"This thing again." Matt said out loud, looking down at this wrist which had lit up with a familiar marking that he had seen when he first met Blake.<p>

"You too?" Roy asked, glancing at Matt with a expression of shock.

"What do you mean?" Matt asked in return.

"You have a Crest." Roy replied, motioning to Matt's glowing wrist.

"This thing?" Matt said, pointing at the marking which gained a nod from Roy. "I saw it once before, but I don't really know what it's for."

Roy was surprised. He had no idea so many of the contestants in the IBF Tourney possessed a Crest. It was like they were all brought her for a reason. But now that made him wonder if there were anymore Crests that might have been present in the audience, perhaps even watching each of them.

* * *

><p>"Mari, what the heck is that?" Robbie asked, staring at the girl's shining wrist. Mari on the other hand was speechless. Not because her wrist was glowing, she had grown used to that already, Robbie's was glowing.<p>

"Robbie, you have a Crest?" She asked in return, her gaze directed at the wrist of her friend.

"Woah!" Robbie exclaimed, raising his hand for him to get a closer look at thunderbolt on his wrist. "This is like…the coolest tattoo ever. And it glows in the dark too…except its light out right now."

Mari deadpanned as she stared her close friend.

"It's not a tattoo, it's called a Crest." Mari said, feeling as though she had said something like this to Robbie already. Back when the two of them were attacked by Alan, Mari went through the trouble of explaining everything to Robbie so that he could have a better grip on what was happening, but even Mari's explanation left a lot of open ended questions that neither could answer.

* * *

><p>"Gwen, your's is open now too, right?" Victor asked, looking toward the young blonde girl standing beside him. He was referring to her Crest since his had lit up without him ordering it to do so.<p>

"Yeah, mine did too." She replied. "Do you think this has something to do with Groudon and Kyogre?"

"No, or at least I'm not sure. But based on the color, its seems like it has to do with something." Victor went on. "But now I'm getting nervous. What could forcefully open both our Crests?"

* * *

><p>"Hmm, where the hell did this come from?" Griffen asked himself out loud, placing his fork beside to his plate to conduct an examination as to where the markings on his left wrist suddenly came from. Something like this had never happened, and Griffen didn't know if it was something good…or bad.<p>

Little did he know that in just a few short hours his life would be taking a dramatic turn, one that would be deciding the fate of the entire inhabited earth.

**Stadium**

"Excuse me, but can I get a moment of your time?" A reporter asked, approaching the famous dark haired man that was making a special appearance at the IBF Finals. "This is the first time you've ever appeared at a tournament that isn't at the World level, so many fans have been wondering, is there something special about the trainers you've been seeing, Mr Champion?"

The dark haired man was known and feared throughout the Pokemon Battle Circuit as the greatest and strongest trainer to ever exist in the Battle Circuit. He was the first person to ever conquer all four of the World Circuits, and the first person to hold all four World Titles at the same time. All he did was grin at the reporter before giving her a nod.

"Yup. Not just the two finalists, but every trainer in the Top 16 have the potential to reach the WPO." He replied. "I was surprised at first to hear about how many young kids were making it to the Finals, so I had to see it for myself, and each of these kids will become something great in the future. Maybe they'll even beat me. Who knows?"

"Those are some high expectations from someone like you. Could you rate the two finalists since its clear that the two of them are superior to the rest of the contestants?" She asked.

"If I had to be honest, the two of them are complete mystery to me. I can see that the two of the have an enormous amount of potential, enough to become trainers that will be more than recognized at the World level. They'll be feared and envied once they start reaching for World Titles." He continued.

"So what do you expect to see in their battle later?"

"I whole heartedly expect to see something I've never seen before."

* * *

><p>"And now, after three months of intense battles all over the world, two trainers have come from the depths of the Johto and Hoenn to determine who will have the right of becoming the first contender to the IBF Title. Waiting for the winner of this match is a battle against the IBF Champion to see whether or not they can conquer the Inter-regional Battle Federation!" The announcer began, but the match still wouldn't be starting for another few minutes. This was simply a cue for the critics that were speaking to the camera's to bring their arguments to a close since the match was going to be starting soon.<p>

Up in the box was four critics were supposed to be seated around a large table that was designed to resemble a Poke-ball, but instead of the heated discussions that should've been taking place, a rather humorous scene had unfolded. The three of the men of the group were currently wrestling on top of the table while the fourth critic was the ever calm and stern looking Meegan J who refused to take part in their argument.

"I'm telling you this for the last time, Griffen is going to crush Blake!" The first critic shouted, trying to break free of the nelson hold he had been put in. "Blake lacks experience right now, which is something Griffen can and will easily take advantage of."

"But you have to remember that Blake is a trainer that grows as the match progresses. With an opponent like Griffen he's sure to have a sudden growth which I'm sure he'll use to claim victory!" The second male of the group shouted, holding the first in a nelson hold while he himself was caught in a sleeper hold by the third man of the group.

"You're wrong. In the Battle Circuit, raw talent has to cultivated properly, and Blake is a prime example of an underdeveloped trainer. He's a quick thinker and he can adapt, but compared to Griffen, he still has a way's to go before he can be considered a candidate for the IBF Title." Third male critic yelled, adding his two cents.

One of the cameramen waved to Meegan, telling her that their time was almost up. Meegan rose up from her seat with a sigh before whistling loudly to get the attention of the men.

"Time's almost up boys." She stated to the guys. "So I figured I would share my opinion since I am the only active trainer among us at the moment."

"Yes, enlighten us Miss Johto Champion." One of them muttered receiving a half hearted glare from Meegan. Even though Meegan J was a Regional Champion, she hadn't lost her Title to Grace since it wasn't an official Title match where it would be at stake. But Meegan J could see that there were trainers from Johto that exceeded the Champion in strength. She would have to triple her training if she planned to compete with Blake and Grace in the future.

"Both trainers have shown power and style that's even greater than that of a Regional Champion. The bond they have with their Pokemon must be deep, and the Pokemon they have chosen as partners must look at their trainers with deep respect and as someone they can trust with their life." Meegan began. "It's clear to me that both of them are trainers that can do well on the World level, perhaps even take one of the World Titles, but as of right now, Griffen holds one advantage over Blake, and that's experience. But Blake is a trainer that's still developing, so we don't know what to expect from this battle. So in other words, we can't make a prediction as to what the outcome will be."

Meegan then proceeded to wave to the camera as the cameraman motioned for her to stop. Time was up, and it was time for the final match of the IBF Finals to take place.

* * *

><p>"And now the time as finally come for the closing match of the IBF Tourney!"<p>

The fans became quiet. The tension was high as the fans had practically taken sides for the two trainers that would be battling. Blake's growing fan base had taken over about forty percent of the stadium stands, seated on the east side of the stands where Blake would be making his entrance. Fifty percent of the remaining sixty were Griffen fans that were holding the west side of the stadium where Griffen would be entering, all of them rooting for the undefeated trainer from Hoenn. The remaining ten percent would be classified as critics or people that simply couldn't decide between the two finalists.

"Are you all excited?" The announcer asked, looking up at the stands. The cheers erupted from the fans for a full minute before the announcer calmed them down to continue the introductions. "Well then let's get things underway. In the blue box we have a young trainer hailing from the Johto Region. A trainer that came to the IBF Tourney fresh out of the Rookie Kings in Johto, someone who no one thought would make it all the way to the final match. Conquering many hurdles as he rose to the top, he has taken his place as the Crowned Prince of Johto. Presenting Bla~ke!"

The stadium went into an uproar as Blake came out of his corridor with a slow walk, his Crest open and lit which gained a lot of attention from his fans. many of them asked each other what that was on Blake's wrist, but not a single person could come up with a believable answer. Taking his place in the blue box, Blake waited for Griffen to take his place with great anticipation. He had entered the world Griffen had been talking about, and now he wanted to test it out against someone who could do the same.

"And now, in the red box. We have another young trainer hailing from the Hoenn Region. A trainer who's strength was unrivaled throughout his early career and much of his time in the IBF. On his campaign to the top, the trainer has one-sidedly beaten two Regional Champions, and proved that the title Eternal Genius is fitting for him. Presenting Griffe~n!"

The stadium roared for the next trainer to come out, Griffen walking out slowly like Blake with his Crest shining brightly on his right wrist. He was just as excited as Blake. Now he would truly get a taste of what a real battle would feel like.

Blake, on the other hand, was now suspicious of Griffen. Eyeing his Crest, Blake could now see why Griffen had such a strange interest in him. He must be a part of all the craziness too.

"This is a very special match today since both of these trainers have come this far undefeated. One of them is sure to receive their first black star today, but not even the critics can come down to a solid conclusion as to who's going to win. So with out further ado, I'll hand things over to the ref." The announcer motioned toward the ref before making his way back over to the box where he would be providing commentary.

"Trainers, this will be an official, one on one Pokemon battle to determine of the winner of the IBF Tourney. Are you ready?" The ref asked, receiving a no reply. Not even the fans were prepared for that one. Most tournaments would end in a full six on six battles to determine the winner, and a three on three would pop up occasionally, but a one on one had never been done before.

Griffen and Blake only stared at each other for a moment, quickly deciding which Pokemon they would use for this battle.

"Trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted, raising his flags. Blake and Griffen hurled the Poke-ball they had selected onto the field, the two of them using a combination that had only been pulled off by World level trainers. A Power Ball combined with powerful horizontal spin or in other words, a Spin Counter.

The Clash was nothing the crowd had seen during this entire tournament. A swirling white dome formed at the center of the field, creating a gust of wind that was far more powerful than a Clash between two regular Power Ball's. Many of the fans in the front rows had to block their eyes to make sure no dust was blown into them. After about thirty seconds, the dome and wind finally disappeared, revealing two Fire type Pokemon that were on the field, Blake's Typhlosion and Griffen's Magmortar.

The two Pokemon glared at each other, remembering their first exchange back in Hoenn outside Meteor Falls. Neither of them were in proper battling condition back then, but now was the time to settle the score.

"Battle begin!" The ref declared, lowering his flags.

"Magmortar, use Flame Thrower!" Griffen started the battle, not wasting a moment to attack.

"Typhlosion, press it back with Lava Plume!" Blake shot back. These two attacks were nothing more than a test between the two trainers who had recalled the first time they had met and the short battle they had held. It was a comparison to back then.

The two large Fire type attacks met with a large blast, neither of the attacks managing to over power the other. The scale of the attacks was ridiculous in terms of power and spread, covering practically the entire field with flames when the attack ended. Typhlosion smirked at Magmortar. Their power was even now.

"Did it get really hot in here?" One of fans in the front rows asked the person sitting next to them while loosening the collar of their shirt.

"I think it did." She replied, using her hand to fan herself.

"Typhlosion, let's use Focus Blast!" Blake shouted, planning to use the newest attack that had been added to Typhlosion's arsenal. The Volcano Pokemon gave a loud snarl before it clapped its hands together before separating them a bit where a light blue orb formed which it proceed to fire at Magmortar. "Then follow it with the Pyro Quick Attack!"

"Magmortar, knock it away with Fire Punch!" Griffen called out. Magmortar's left hand became engulfed in flames as the Focus Blast neared it. With ease Magmortar slapped away the attack that flew straight into the wall of the stadium, putting a sizable crater in it.

In the shadow of the Focus Blast was Typhlosion who rammed itself into Magmortar, but the Blast Pokemon was prepared enough to intercept Typhlosion's attack with its Fire Punch enhanced hand, reducing the damage that could be done before it pushed Typhlosion backward. Despite being pushed backward, Typhlosion lunged in a second time, but this time Magmortar dropped its hand down on top of Typhlosion with a heavy chop, slamming it down into the field.

Typhlosion's heat shield that came with the use of the attack broke through the field, preventing any physical damage from taking place on the Volcano Pokemon, protecting it properly. A large blast of scarlet flames forced Magmortar to back away from Typhlosion, preventing it from beginning a heavy assault on Typhlosion to break its shield.

"Alright Typhlosion, attack with the Pyro Quick Attack once more!" Blake called out now that their was some distance between the two Fire type Pokemon.

Griffen smirked as everything slowed down in his field of vision. It was time he got down to business and force Blake to follow him into the world of higher level Pokemon battles. Griffen shut his eyes for a moment to Synchronize with Magmortar like he had in his last match against Beck which allowed him to see everything from Magmortar's perspective.

'Alright, let's attack with Fire Punch again.' Griffen said, breaking down the Pyro Quick Attack, finding that its weakness was actually something that Blake had kept well hidden considering how long he had been using the attack. Even though the heat was being produced from Typhlosion's body, as it moved, a small point in the all the heat opened up at the front which could be used to break through the heat shield and attack the Volcano Pokemon.

Blake's eyes became wide as Magmortar drilled its fist into Typhlosion's heat shield, breaking through it with ease before hitting Typhlosion head on which sent the Volcano Pokemon rocketing backward. How did Griffen and Magmortar crack the secret to his Pyro Quick Attack?

'It…This has to be what the World stage is like.' Blake concluded, realizing that even though he was fighting for the IBF Championship, there was still another Circuit above this one. The World Circuit. 'That means their must be a ton of trainers that are just as strong as Griffen, maybe even stronger.'

Just when he felt as though he was closing in on the Golden Flash, Blake received his first taste of the World stage, and now he could clearly see that it would be no easy task to make it to the top.

"Typhlosion, up on your feet." Blake commanded, motioning for his downed Pokemon to rise up which it did with ease, showing that while it had taken a hard it, it was still ready to continue battling. "Lava Plume!"

Griffen would be his test. His test to see how he would measure up to World level standards.

'Flame Thrower!' Griffen said in a whisper to Magmortar.

The Blast Pokemon raised both its arms, pointing them at the approaching wave of scarlet flames. Producing orange flames from its arms, the two opposing fires met with a flaming hot battle for control. Screams from the crowd about the flames almost reaching the stands was a warning to the maintenance crew that the crowd was in danger.

This was something that was rarely used for matches at the IBF level, but the safety of the crowd came first to the stadium manager. Below the actual stadium was a large room dedicated for the workers of the stadium to oversee the battles as well as monitor the activity of any and everything throughout the stadium.

"Raise the barriers!" A woman shouted, looking at the temperature readings in the stands that had sky rocketed after the two Fire type attacks met.

The small wall that separated the fans from the field that encompassed the entire field possessed a thin line that split it in half from the top. Below the stadium field were dozens of Psychic type Pokemon that had just received an order to case a field of psychic energy over the field in between the fans and the field to prevent the flames from harming anyone.

A clear barrier rose up in between the fans and the field, blocking the flames and heat without distorting the viewing experience of the fans.

"The temperature is dropping."

"Good, but monitor the Psychic Pokemon."

"Yes ma'am."

Back in the stadium, the fans were terrified as they stared down at the burning field. Both the trainers and the Pokemon had disappeared inside the fire, and it appeared as though there was no sign of any of them reappearing. The ref had abandoned his usual post, taking safety in the announcer's box where even the announcer was struggling to speak. He was just as worried about the condition of the two trainers.

At the center of the flames, a space was blown open revealing Magmortar and Typhlosion locked hand in hand, trying to over power each other while snarling and growling at their opponent. Griffen was the first of the two trainers to reappear from the flames, slightly charred from the flames but otherwise he was fine.

'Magmortar, Mach Punch.' Griffen said to his partner who broke away from Typhlosion. Magmortar then began to race around Typhlosion leaving after imagers of itself as it moved, attacking its opponent with fast and sharp jabs. Typhlosion struggled to follow Magmortar's movements, unable to protect itself from any of the Blast Pokemon's attack.

In the stands, numerous people were beginning to panic since Blake had yet to show his face after disappearing in the flames.

"Come on Blake!" Mari and Robbie shouted together, hoping their friend and rival would show his face and win the battle.

"Blake, you had better beat this guy if you beat me!" Matt called out, cupping his hands around his mouth for the effect of a megaphone.

"Hurry up and beat this guy Blake!" Grace shouted along with Lana who was standing beside her.

'I expected better Blake, but I guess that means I really am ready for the World.' Griffen said to himself, watching Magmortar pound away at Typhlosion. 'Wait, what's that?'

Way on the other side of the flames, a silhouette in the flames.

"Typhlosion!" It was Blake, and as he made his way out of the flames, everyone could see he had received quite a harsh blaze from the flames. A large portion of his shirt had been burned straight off his body, and what had been covered by that section of his shirt was now blackened from the flames, but Blake seemed to be ignoring the pain just fine.

'Oh, so I guess you decided to join me.' Griffen said to himself a smile, glad that the battle wasn't over yet. Through Magmortar's vision, he could see that the aura surrounding Blake had become much stronger that it was at the beginning of the battle.

Blake could easily read through Magmortar's movements while it was attacking with Mach Punch, but he could clearly see that Typhlosion wouldn't be able to react to the fast attack. After his match with Grace the day before, Blake had locked himself away in his room to study what exactly he was capable of while he was in this state of mind. He could see that the only solution to utilizing his new vision was to Synchronize with his Pokemon.

But Blake hated that fact. Synchronizing with his Pokemon was out of the question if he was battling in the Battle Circuit. Not because it was against the rules, he doubted that the officials even knew about Synchronism, but because it seemed pretty cheap to use such a huge advantage against trainers who wouldn't be able to counter his moves, Blake had decided that he wouldn't use this ability in the Battle Circuit.

Now Blake was staring something he never thought he would meet in the Battle Circuit. In his black and white vision, Blake saw a pair of lime green eyes on both Griffen and Magmortar.

'Synchronism.' Blake stated, glaring at his opponent. 'Was he using this in all his battles?'

That didn't matter to Blake anymore, his number one concern was beating Griffen. And it was clear to him now how Griffen had been dominating the battle as well as cracking through his Pyro Quick Attack with such ease. He would have to pull out all the stops if he was going to beat a trainer like this.

Blake closed his eyes for a moment, creating link between himself and Typhlosion, greeting his Pokemon as the two of them began to exist on the same mindscape.

Magmortar came a quick stop before rushing in at Typhlosion for the finishing blow to its jaw, but before it could land the attack, Typhlosion's hand was in the path of the punch, catching it with ease. Griffen's smile became wider as both Blake's and Typhlosion's eyes snapped open, being lime green in color. Now he was truly impressed with Blake.

Synchronism and potential to become a trainer that would be legendary on the World Circuit. This would truly be his greatest battle.

'Quick Magmortar, use Hyper Beam!"

Blake could see the claws on Magmortar's extended arm recede into its arm before a large amount of energy began to gather into its cannon-like hand.

'Typhlosion, use the Scarlet Shield!'

The Hyper Beam was fired at point blank range at Typhlosion who hadn't moved, which surprised Griffen. The attack exploded just as soon as it was fired, creating a large cloud of black smoke. A moment after the cloud was created; Magmortar and Typhlosion came skidding out of the smoke on their feet, moving toward their trainers while leaving a trail of smoke as they moved.

'Marmortar, Flame Thrower!'

'Typhlosion, Lava Plume!'

As the two Pokemon came to a halt, they unleashed another Fire attack on the other, increasing the size of the flames that covered the field as the fans roared. Blake could hear their screams, and while he knew they were supporting him, he was slightly irritated that they had no idea who damn hot this battle was at the moment. He was sweating, his skinned was burned, and he had thrown away his sneakers long before, finding that his feet could actually withstand the heat better than his shoes. But at the same time, Griffen was in a similar condition, and this battle looked as though it would be making it to the climax soon.

Both of the participating Pokemon were clearly exhausted, suffering from a Burn status and were clearly on their last leg of strength. But Typhlosion was acting funny. The flames on the back of its neck exploded outward, becoming much larger than they usually were.

'Man, its special ability will raise the strength of its Fire attacks.' Griffen muttered to himself, seeing that this battle was beginning to turn in Blake's favor.

'We'll have to stick to using Fire type attacks if we're going to win. Typhlosion, use Lava Plume on the field to push yourself into the air!' Blake said. Typhlosion only had one shot at beating Magmortar, and that was to use its trump card right now.

'Magmortar, finish it with Mach Punch!' Griffen said quickly. If he could land the first hit, the match would be his win.

The two Pokemon quick took action, Magmortar racing across the field at Typhlosion, planning to end this all in one go. Unfortunately, the cost of using Hyper Beam finally caught up with Magmortar, reducing its speed by fifty percent which gave Typhlosion the time it needed to use Lava Plume as a trap.

The Volcano Pokemon opened up its mouth, releasing a powerful blast of flames which quickly pushed it up into the air, creating a wall of flames where it previously was located. Magmortar charged into the flames, unable to stop itself in time, but the Blast Pokemon found itself in a tough situation. The power of the Typhlosion's Lava Plume attack forced it down to knees.

'This power, it's so strong!' Griffen exclaimed. Typhlosion had become incredibly powerful since their first meeting on Meteor Falls. He could see now that Blake had strengthened its base stats to an impressive point since their last meeting.

'Now Typhlosion, let's end this with the Scarlet Shield!' Blake shouted. If this attack failed, Typhlosion's stamina would be completely drained and this battle would be over. It was an all or nothing bet now that Typhlosion had a clear shot at Magmortar.

Griffen stared at the situation from both his perspective as well as that of Magmortar's. The Blast Pokemon had been pressed down to the field with the power of the Lava Plume, and now it wouldn't be able to move out of the way of the approaching finisher. Hyper Beam was out of the question, and all of Magmortar's other attacks wouldn't be able to create an opening for it to move in the Lava Plume

'Blake huh…I guess I've met my match.' Griffen muttered as the Typhlosion fell toward Magmortar. 'The World Circuit is a big place. But I guess the only thing I can now is train my Pokemon and get ready. Hopefully we'll meet again in the Battle Circuit…Blake.'

A large portion of the field was blown up into the air on impact. Magmortar's eyes became wide as it was hit, being driven further and further into the field by Typhlosion. The fans could only stare in awe as the field fell back down in the chunks, creating a large cloud of dust that prevented the ref from making his judgment for a good bit of time.

The stadium manager dare not turn on the sprinkler system to out the flames to avoid doing anything to the two Fire type Pokemon that were present on the field. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin the judgment of such an amazing match.

Blake ran onto the field, trying to check for himself, but the mountain began to shake which threw him to the ground, beginning to frighten the fans as well. There was no way Typhlosion's attack could've caused a tremor inside of Mt Corenet.

**Johto Region**

**Ruins of Alph**

Lexor stood alone inside a dark room in the deepest part of the ruins, staring at the floating orb of energy that was surrounded by Unown. The small black Pokemon glowed in the darkness as they raced around the orb, casting Psychic energy onto the orb to combine the conflicting energy inside into one energy source.

'This process is taking a lot longer than I expected.' Lexer said to himself before jolt ran up his left arm.

His Crest began to glow in the darkness in a darker color than the usual hot pink it normally possessed. That was his cue to look up at the ceiling of the room, beginning to laugh.

"Well, it looks as though the Storm is beginning a lot earlier than I planned on. It's good that I have a few back up measures to buy me sometime to conquer Kanto and Johto." Lexer said to himself. The time he still needed to complete the Tanoby Keystone Operation would still far off in the distance, but that wouldn't affect him at all. All that meant was that his brothers would get a head like they had from the start.

**Hoenn Region**

**Mt Pyre**

Titus looked around at the wall that surrounded the flat top of Mt Pyre. Surprisingly, after coming all the way to the top of the now dormant volcano, Titus found that the very top of the mountain had been unaffected by its previous eruption. The top of the mountain had been sealed off from the rest, possessing a crasy plain with a small rock pedestal at the center of the enclosed area.

On the pedestal was three slots for each of the Orbs he had collected. He had put the Orbs in place weeks before, but for each Orb to override the control of a Crest to its respective Legendary Pokemon, a lot of time was required.

Titus groaned when the Crest on his left hand opened up against his will.

'I see that Sander was the first among the three of us to get his plan under way.' Titus muttered to himself, a bit irritated that he had been beaten by his older brother once again.

**Sinnoh Region**

**Spear Pillar**

"It's complete!" Sander shouted, staring at Arceus in its two separate forms. Abyss Arceus stood by itself, observing its surroundings while Pure Arceus lay on its side, too weak to move on its own. "Nadia, Aidan, Diana!"

The triplets looked up toward Sander, all of them just barely past the age of nine.

"Yes father?" They asked in unison.

"Take Pure Arceus and seal it away. The beginning of the Storm is about to begin!" Sander proclaimed, motioning for the three small children and the respective Legendary Pokemon to take away the body of Pure Arceus. Uxie, Mespirit and Azelf followed the three children over to the large white Centaur Pokemon, placing their hands on it before the group of seven disappeared, leaving behind a trail of sparkles.

Abyss Arceus, the source of all Pokeosis was now under Sander's control, and thus the Storm could finally begin.

"Come Abyss Arceus, the King awaits!" Sander called out, allowing Dialga and Palkia to disappear in a flash of light. The Space-Time Legendaries had to return to their Crests now, and that only left Giratina who returned the Reverse World. After being summoned by Sander, the man no longer wished for it to be out now that he had taken control of Abyss Arceus.

The mention of the word 'King' seemed to anger the black Centaur Pokemon, gaining a loud roar from it that shook the mountain.

"Can you sense the King?" Sander asked, reminding it that it possessed more than the regular five senses of a Human. It's dark red eyes began to glow as it scanned the mountain, looking down into the Battle Dome below where it could see multiple open Crests all over the stadium.

It roared once again before a dark orb formed in front of its head which it proceeded to fire at the floor, blowing a large hole through the base of Spear Pillar and the ceiling of the Battle Dome.

* * *

><p>Blake gasped his right wrist, feeling surge of energy run through it before shooting up his arm, his Crest advancing to level two without his command.<p>

'What's going on?' Blake asked himself, his concern for Typhlosion becoming second on his list when the ceiling to the Battle Dome was suddenly blow open followed by a loud gargled shout. The lighting of the stadium was directed up at the hole where a dark Pokemon was descending toward the field.

Lana and Grace gasped out loud, realizing what must've been taking place in Spear Pillar during the IBF Tourney.

"Lana! It must be after Blake!" Grace exclaimed, looking toward her friend who had already risen to her feet.

"Then let's move! We have to help Blake!" Lana shouted, rushing down the staircase from her seat toward the field.

"Right!" Grace said, following Lana who had gotten a huge head start on her.

Standing on the head of Abyss Arceus was Sander who was laughing, although this went unheard by everyone. Their attention was on Abyss Arceus who seemed to be glaring at Blake with its piercing red eyes.

"The time has arrived for the King to fall now that the Storm as begun!"

* * *

><p><strong>The Storm has started Abyss Arceus finally making its first full appearance, right at the end of Blake and Griffen's undecided match. As for the outcome of that match, you'll find out soon enough. But what did you think? I thought this one was better than Blake vs Grace and Griffen vs Beck.<strong>

**Anyway, moving on to you guys. All of you who thought Synchronism was the answer, you were correct. Unfortunately, using Synchornism is incredibly dangerous to the trainer. At first I was going to have it be that the trainer experiences all of the damage the Pokemon takes in battle, but then I was like, a Hyper Beam might kill them so the trainer only experiences the physical damage a Pokemon takes.**

**And now I wanted to give a little more information about Abyss Arceus since its part in the plot will be out in the open within the next five chapters...I think. Anyway, Abyss Arceus isn't a corrupted Arceus, its a separate form of Arceus that was trapped inside it. Sander used multiple Red Chains to first tear them apart and then take control of Abyss Arceus. So at the moment, their are two Arceus' existing together, Abyss Arceus and Pure Arceus. I'll let the story explain the rest once we reach that point.**

**Once again, thanks for all the reviews guys. It warms my heart to see that someone appreciates this. :D Now that all my build up has finished, its time for this fic to get serious.**

**R & R!**


	38. The Storm Begins

**Boy, I amaze myself sometimes. I was recently told my Internet was going to cut again (sorry guys ) but I was like, I have to give you guys something before it goes, and I somehow managed to finish this one before it left. I'd like to apologize for any mistakes before hand because I don't know when the internet might go so I only gave it a quick skim for anything major. Other than that , I hope you enjoy!**

"insert words" - Regular Speech/Humans

**"insert words" - Legendary Pokemon Speech**

* * *

><p>Chapter 38<p>

From the view of a satellite in space, dark clouds could be seen gathering around the tallest mountain of the Sinnoh Region. Mt Corenet.

A small purple crystalline object came racing toward the earth, leaving a star dust trail as it neared the Earth's magnetic pull. The small object came to a stop, allowing its physical body to materialize around it the crystalline.

Once its body was complete, it stared down at the Earth, at the dark clouds in particular.

**"Yes, I made it in time!" **It exclaimed before charging downward into the Earth's atmosphere.

**Mt Corenet**

**Battle Dome**

The arena was silent as everyone present looked up at Abyss Arceus who was descending down toward the battlefield. But the Abyss Legendary Pokemon came to a stop when it came into contact with the shield that had been set up by the Psychic type Pokemon for the battle. The shield only held out the Abyss Pokemon for a few seconds before it became visible in a dark purple, several cracks appearing before it shattered.

Down below the field, all of the Psychic Pokemon that had been casting the shield were on the ground, shaking violently. Their natural skin or fur color became a dark purple, and their pupils became a bright red, signifying that they had come into contact with Pokeosis. Just the contact between their energy and Abyss Arceus was enough to spread the disease. They were transforming into Abyss Pokemon.

Unfortunately, the maintenance crew was unaware of what was taking place with the Psychic type Pokemon since they were all far more concerned on what to do about Abyss Arceus. What options were there when it came to fight a Legendary Pokemon that had disappeared decades ago?

Abyss Arceus gave off its gargled roar which shook all of Mt Corenet as it landed on the field, staring at Blake in particular. His Crest was definitely responding to Abyss Arceus, but why?

"Stay away from Blake!" A feminine voice had shouted this. "Lugia!"

There was a large flash of blue light followed closely by a loud, violent roar. Blake could only stare in awe as a colossal silver skinned Pokemon came crashing into the Battle Dome, breaking through the mountain as it made its entrance. As it came down beside Abyss Arceus, it slapped the Abyss Pokemon with its left wing which knocked it into the stadium walls, creating a large dust cloud around itself.

Hundreds of lives disappeared under the body of Abyss Arceus as Lana and Grace landed on top of Lugia's head. This was a sign to the crowd that none of this was fake, it was all real. They began to scream and shout, people beginning to flood the hallways to try and escape seeing the imminent danger they were in.

"Grace, don't call out Ho-oh." Lana stated, seeing that her friend beside her had raised her Crest to level three to call out her Legendary partner.

"Hmm? Why not, we have to do something about this right now." Grace replied, giving Lana an incredulous look.

"I know exactly how I can stop Abyss Arceus right now. Calling out Ho-oh would only be a waste on your part once I'm finished." Lana replied. Grace detected a hint of sorrow in her voice, but she couldn't figure out what Lana had in mind.

"Alright Lana, whatever it is you're planning, I'm under your command." Grace said, giving her a comforting nod which Lana returned.

"I have a feeling there are other Crests here in the Battle Dome. Gather them and get them out of here." Lana began. "And take Blake too. He's your number one priority."

Grace gave Lana another nod, wondering if the girl could hand Abyss Arceus on her own. But what Lana was saying was right. Getting the other Crests out of here was of the utmost importance. A black orb burst out of the smoke, racing toward Lugia which hit the large Pokemon in the stomach, knocking it into the stadium wall behind it.

Both Lana and Grace were sent flying from the top of Lugia's head, crashing into the stands. Abyss Arceus burst out of the dust cloud it had created, moving toward Blake who was frozen in place. His eyes were wide, his breath was short and he had broken out in a cold sweat.

The terror filled screams of the fans told him that he wasn't dreaming. This was real. The lives of innocent people were disappearing left and right, and there was nothing he could do about it. Staring up at the Legendary Pokemon that was towering over him, Blake recognized it as something that could be the cause of his instantaneous death. He wasn't excited like he would be during a normal Pokemon battle.

Abyss Arceus gave another cry before it charged up a second dark orb which it proceeded to fire at Blake this time who couldn't defend himself from the attack. Even with his crash course back in Slateport City, Blake had never managed to use the Crest Beam successfully. And if he screwed up now, his life would be lost. So what did he have to lose?

Yet, Blake found himself to be completely paralyzed. His body refused to move even though he was desperately trying, but nothing was responding. Why was he frozen? It's not like he was scared? Was he?

Blake gulped as the orb grew larger in size as it neared him. He was definitely scared. In fact, if Abyss Arceus had the power to send Lugia, a Pokemon that was pratically equal in terms of size and weight flying, Blake knew its power was something to fear.

Scarlet flames were unleashed from the left of the dark orb, pressing against the sphere which changed the direction of its course slightly. Blake could only stare as the orb passed right by him, exploding when it hit the wall behind. Typhlosion roared, making its presence evident to Blake who could see his Fire type partner barely managing to stand on its feet as it used the boosted strength of its special ability to press off Abyss Arceus' attack.

Blake stared at Typhlosion for a moment, seeing that there was no chance of his Pokemon being able to fight against an opponent like this. It was simply impossible. Taking out Typhlosion's Poke-ball, Blake returned it to the safety before finding someone standing beside him. It was Griffen, and it appeared as though he was taking the situation a lot worse then Blake.

He was crouched over, clinging onto Blake's ankles while trembling.

"Wha-What kind of Pokemon is that?" He asked nervously, staring up at Abyss Arceus who had roared again, deciding that it would take down Blake using a more direct attack. But before it could approach Blake, Lugia burst out of the dust it had created, charging toward Abyss Arceus to engage it in battle.

"These…there are Legendary Pokemon…" Blake himself couldn't believe that all of this was actually happening. The battle in Slateport was quite a strange anomaly to Blake, but he refused to believe that it was somehow connected to all of this Crest stuff. But now that he was staring Abyss Arceus and Lugia fighting each other in the middle of the Mt Corenet Battle Dome, it was clear to Blake that all the people he had previously thought were mentally ill were actually speaking the truth. "Come on, we have to get out of here!"

Blake threw Salamence's Poke-ball into the air, releasing the Dragon Pokemon who he quickly climbed onto, offering Griffen a ride as well. He accepted without a second thought, but as they took off, Griffen hastily returned his unconscious Magmortar to its Poke-ball as they rose up over the battlefield before looking down at the enormous Pokemon down on the battlefield. Blake joined Griffen in observing the battle, noticing that Lana was on the head of Lugia.

Now he regretted not assisting the girl when she asked for his help. But she had a Legendary Pokemon with her, so hopefully she would be able to stop Abyss Arceus.

Lugia lunged at its opponent with an angry roar before it attempted to clap Abyss Arceus with its wings. But the Abyss Legendary possessed more agility then Lana had planned for when it easily evaded the attack before striking Lugia from the side which sent it skidding away on its side. Blake looked down at Abyss Arceus, wondering how such a large Pokemon could move so fast. Then it suddenly looked up toward him, making eye contact with him.

Abyss Arceus charged up another dark sphere in front of it again, but black lightning bolts were crackling around this one as it fired it up at Salamence.

"Ryuu, move!" Blake shouted, hoping they would escape the path of the attack in time. The Dragon Pokemon swerved off to its right under Blake's command, but even with its reaction to the oncoming attack, Salamence couldn't completely avoid the attack.

Salamence roared as its left wing was clipped by the attack, disabling it with that slight touch. They avoided a direct hit, but Salamence's ability of flight was gone. The Dragon Pokemon thrashed about wildly in the air, trying to balance itself off with one wing but to no avail. The terrified Griffen firmly held onto Salamence for dear life, but Blake was thrown off of his Pokemon with its sudden movements.

Abyss Arceus spotted Blake who was falling, rushing off in a straight dash to finish off the boy while he was completely open. Sander smiled as he saw Abyss Arceus' helpless target. This was going a lot faster and easier than he thought it would.

"Lugia, use Pyschic on Blake!" Lana called out suddenly. Blake's fall came to an immediate halt, a blue outline holding him up in midair as Abyss Arceus closed in on him. All he could do was shut his eyes and brace himself for death.

Blake could hear a frustrated cry from Abyss Arceus before he opened his eyes, finding that he was flying away from the Abyss Legendary.

"Gotcha." Lana said as she caught Blake, falling down when his full weight hit her body. Blake could only stare at the girl in amazement at how she could remain so calm despite their current situation. "Thanks Lugia."

**"I'm glad to be of service." **A calm soothing female voice replied that Blake assumed was Lugia.

"Blake, you have to leave. Now." Lana said as she rose to her feet, taking her place at the front of Lugia's head.

"But, how are you going to stop that thing?" Blake asked, looking toward Abyss Arceus who was glaring at them.

"I know how to stop it. All you have to do now is leave." Lana replied as she raised her right arm, revealing her glowing Crest. It was already at level three, but Lana had no intention of trying to battle Abyss Arceus using power.

Closing her hand into a tight fist, Lana's arm began to tremble as the silver color her right arm had been covered in began to morph into multiple shapes going down the center of her arm. The silver became the shape of an old alphabet that Blake couldn't decipher, but he could tell that this had to be the next level of the Crest. The level Jim and Marilyn had warned him about privately.

**"Lana, are you sure you're willing to make that sacrifice?" ** Lugia asked the girl, receiving a nod from the brunette.

"If its to protect Blake, than I'm willing to go this far." Lana replied.

**"Alright then, I'm going to trust your decision Lana." **

"Thank you Lugia. Now put Blake somewhere safe with Psychic before I begin the sealing." Lana said, getting a nod from the Legendary Pokemon before Blake was lifted into the air again by an invisible force.

Quickly but carefully, Blake was moved the stands where he could watch Lana's plan from a safe distance. But it appeared as though neither of them were ready for Abyss Arceus to try and rush past them, still targeting Blake.

"Lugia!" Lana shouted as the Diving Pokemon lashed out with its tail at Abyss Arceus, catching the Black Centaur Pokemon off guard. Abyss Arceus screeched at Lugia as it stumbled away, but before it could lunge in for another attack, Lugia jumped on top of it, slapping it down to the ground with both its wings this time.

Lugia roared down at Abyss Arceus, using all its body weight to keep the Abyss Legendary down in the ground as Lana finished raising her Crest to level four. Lana glanced over her shoulder, taking a look at Blake who was looking on intently. The two of them made eye contact, and Blake was sure that he could see a tear escape through the corner of Lana's eyes before she returned her gaze to Abyss Arceus.

Lana threw herself down at Abyss Arceus's head, landing front of Sander who instantly took notice of her Crest.

"Tch." Sander muttered. Lana's Crest was at level four, and he knew what the girl was planning to do. But it was too late to try and interfere right now. In fact, he couldn't afford to be caught in the sealing process.

Lana slapped her hand down on the head of Abyss Arceus, releasing a flash of blue light before the ancient text that was on her arm exploded outward in all directions. Sander hastily raised his Crest to level three to open a small portal to the Reverse World. He only had a few seconds to escape, and ever second counted.

Leaping into the portal, Sander disappeared from the battlefield, leaving Abyss Arceus to be caught by Lana. The text rose high into to the air before swerving downward, circling around Abyss Arceus, Lana and Lugia before tightening up around the group.

"Lana!" Blake called out to the girl as the group of three rose a few feet above the ground. Then they dematerialized from top to bottom, creating a dazzling light. The process took several minutes, but when it was complete, the stadium became dark again.

The chaos and havoc didn't stop even after the battlefield was cleared of any Legendary Pokemon. Everyone continued to flee the stadium, rushing to the exits.

On the field, Blake could see where Salamence had landed, Griffen still hanging onto his Pokemon. In the span of the last ten minutes, Blake had seen two Legendary Pokemon appear out of no where, and now he really didn't know what to expect if he stayed in the area.

"Griffen!" He shouted as he leaped over the wall, dropping down to the battlefield. Once he was on both his feet, Blake rushed over to his downed Pokemon, finding that it was writhing in pain. It's usually red left wing was now a dark purple, this odd coloring beginning to spread out onto the rest of Salamence's body. "What is this?"

Blake closed his eyes for a moment while placing a hand on Salamence's body, Synchronizing with the Dragon Pokemon. When their mindscapes became one, Blake felt a feeling of dread wash over him as he saw Salamence's form resting on its side, a dark aura surrounding it.

'Ryuu?' Blake called out to the Pokemon, but two glowing red eyes snapped open above the plain Blake and Salamence were on followed by the same cry Abyss Arceus had been giving off during the short battle.

The Synchronism broke, and Blake was ejected from Salamence's mindscape. In reality, Blake was resting on his bottom with Griffen beside him trying to snap him out of the daze he had been in.

"Blake!" Griffen shouted at him, causing Blake to stir. "We have to get out here!"

Blake blinked several times before Griffen's last sentence registered in his mind.

"Right." Blake said, giving him a nod before the two of them noticed Salamence beginning to groan. The Dragon Pokemon slowly got back up onto its feet, looking toward Blake and Griffen. It was plainly obvious to the two trainers that something was wrong with Salamence considering color differences its skin had to a normal Salamence, but the piercing red eyes that were glaring at them was a dead give away that it was going to attack.

Salamence roared at the two of them before its claws became coated in purple flames that extended an extra few inches for it to use Dragon Claw. Griffen and Blake hastily scrambled out of the way, shocked that Salamence had actually tried to attack them.

'Whatever is going on here…this is getting really out of control.' Blake mumbled to himself as he jumped back to his feet, taking out Salamence's Poke-ball. "Ryuu, return!"

Salamence leapt out of the path of the red beam before firing a wave of flames toward Blake, an attack that Blake couldn't escape with ease. Snatching another Poke-ball from his waist, Blake released Poliwrath just in the nick of time to save himself from being engulfed in flames for the second time in one day. Blake was quick to Synchronize with Poliwrath after the Flame Thrower pasted.

'Hydro Pump!' Blake called out as he moved out from behind Poliwrath, planning to return Salamence to its Poke-ball while it was under the heavy water pressure from Hydro Pump. Unfortunately, even though it seemed to be far more violent than it normally was, Salamence still battled as though it were under Blake's command.

"Raa!" It shouted as it leaped into the air to escape the powerful jet of water. All of Salamence's sense had been pushed to the max, and it could clearly sense Blake and Poliwrath's plans to capture it. Poliwrath didn't stop though, launching multiple Hydro Pumps up at Salamence under Blake's command. Giving the Water type Pokemon the place it should aim, Poliwrath successfully cut of Salamence's path which brought Dragon Pokemon to a sudden halt in mid air.

Blake raised its Poke-ball, firing the red light at Salamence which caught the Pokemon on its body. Salamence gave a violent roar before it became a red light that was pulled back into the Poke-ball. Blake gave a sigh of relief as he looked down at the Poke-ball, pleased that he had gotten back Salamence.

"Thanks Poliwrath." Blake said, giving his Water type Pokemon a nod. "Let's go!"

"Over here Blake!" A voice called out to him. Looking to his left, Blake saw Griffen waving him near the east entrance of the arena. "Quick!"

There was a lot of screaming coming from that corridor, so Blake could only assume that even more chaos had to be taking place in that area. Blake quickly ran over to Griffen, joining him at the entrance where he found Griffen's Cacturne in the corridor struggling in a battle against a Slowbro.

It wasn't just a Slowbro, Blake could see numerous oddly colored Psychic type Pokemon in the hallways slaughtering the fans. Blake was mortified at the sight. A Pokemon attacking and killing a human was something he never thought would happen. But now all Blake could think about was doing his best to protect all the people that were trying to escape.

Calling out Absol from its Poke-ball, Blake Synchronized with it as well as Poliwrath like he had in SlateportCity since his Crest was open, deciding that he would double team each of the Psychic type Pokemon. Poliwrath would distract them and then Absol would go in for the finish.

"Griffen, back up my Absol." Blake said to the teen beside him who was incredibly impressed with Blake.

'He can Synchronize with more than one Pokemon…so he was stronger than me from the beginning.' Griffen concluded before giving Blake a nod. It was clear to him that while Blake did struggle during their match, but he was destined to reach the World stage. 'Cacturne, use Faint Attack on that Slowbro!'

'Absol, finish it with Shadow Claw!' Blake commanded to the Disaster Pokemon that lunged into the fray in the hallway followed by Cacturne and Poliwrath.

The moment Blake and Griffen intercepted the Psychic Pokemon in the corridor, the fans began to retreat in the opposite direction, leaving the two trainers to fend for themselves. It was a group of seven Psychic type Pokemon, and the team managed to defeat all seven, but not without Absol and Cacturne gaining an odd coloring during the battle. The Synchronism between Blake and Absol, and Griffen and Cacturne was broken, telling the trainers that something was wrong with their Pokemon.

Blake and Griffen were quick to return the two Pokemon after seeing what happened to Salamence before finishing off the remaining oddly colored Pokemon. The two trainers were shocked at how powerful these Pokemon were. They were recognized IBF level trainers yet these Pokemon were giving them an epic run for their money during each and every battle.

But at the same time they could tell that these Pokemon weren't trained, they were acting on a wild instinct, and that was far more dangerous than Blake and Griffen's well trained Pokemon.

"Come on, we have to get out of here!" Griffen said to Blake. Blake could hear the quivers in his voice, but he could blame Griffen for being scared. After all, Blake was on edge too.

* * *

><p>Fans were freely running out of the Mt Corenet Battle Dome, heading toward the elevators that had been built in the mountain that would taken them down to base of the mountain where the hotels and parking lots were located. Waiting for the elevators was the biggest hassle, and people were fighting to get in and out of the elevators. Some were even trampled by the crowds.<p>

But in the huge mess, Blake ran into two people he hadn't seen in months. Simply because he knew the two of them he was going to invite them to come along with him and Griffen. Then he caught sight of their glowing wrists, and Blake could only mumble to himself that practically everyone he knew was involved in this whole fiasco.

"Follow me!" Blake shouted, grabbing Mari and Robbie by their wrists before tugging them out of the sea of people.

The two teens that were same age as Blake followed him, wondering where he was going to take them since he was going in the opposite direction of the crowd. Blake and Griffen led the duo of A-Class trainers to the entrance of the Mt Corenet Battle Dome they had used to enter.

Getting to the exit was no easy task going against the flew of the crowd, but once they made it to the exit, it was an easy escape. They were on a flat platform that led out to a cliff where a group of people were apparently waiting for them. It was Grace, Matt, Roy and two people Blake didn't recognize, but he could see their glowing wrists so he could come to the obvious conclusion.

"Grace." Blake said sharply, moving over to the girl. Dropping both his hands down on her shoulders, he gave her a hard stare which frightened the girl. "What happened to Lana?"

"Lana…she sealed herself away…" Grace trailed off.

"What do you mean?"

"To stop Abyss Arceus, she used the seal that comes with every Crest to lock away Abyss Arceus, at the price of sealing herself away with it." Grace explained, feeling Blake's grip on her shoulders loosen up as she finished speaking.

"Where?" He asked softly.

"What?" Grace asked in return.

"Where did she seal away Abyss Arceus?"

"I…don't know."

Blake's hands slid off her shoulders as he looked down at his feet angrily. Grace bent over a bit to get a look at Blake's face, but he moved over to the edge of the cliff, closing his hands into tight fists.

"Damn it!" Blake roared loudly. Not only had the girl sacrificed herself for him because of his ignorance, now his Pokemon and all of these Pokemon were suffering because of it as well. And now he was sure that all of this could've been avoided. This was all his fault for not acting while they had the chance.

Blake punched himself in the face, trying to think of a suitable punishment for everything that had happened so far. The group gasped when he did this, but when he raised his fist again Blake found a hand holding it back.

"Chill out Blake." It was Matt. "I'm sure we can fix this if we take some time to think about it."

Blake roughly pulled his arm free of Matt's grip, angered by how calm the boy was despite the situation at hand.

"No, you don't understand at all Matt!" Blake snapped at him. "If I had just went and helped her instead of focusing on the IBF Tourney, we could've stopped this and avoided this entire problem!"

"Blake, even if you did help Lana; there's no guarantee that your would've been able to stop this." Grace yelled at him, silencing Blake before he could go on. Grace approached Blake, surprised with just how much emotion he was showing this whole situation. There was too much stress piling up on Blake in a short period of time, and he wasn't handling it too well.

But his conclusion to place all of this on his own shoulders was pushing him over the edge. Grace enveloped him in a hug, pulling him downward to comfort him in his first time of need since she had met him back in Violet City. The group heard him sniffle twice as he tears ran down his cheeks, Blake was still angry. Angry at himself.

"Come on guys, we have to leave while we still have the chance." Roy said to the group, getting a nod from others who called out whatever Flying Pokemon they possessed.

All together, the group had a Pidgeot from Robbie, an Altaria from Mari, a Charizard from Roy, a Gliscor from Victor and a Yanmega from Griffen. Fortunately, this was enough Pokemon to get the entire group off without a struggle for space.

The trainers were quick to climb onto their Pokemon before taking flight, setting their next destination to be Eterna City. The skies were dark as they flew, seeming to span across the entire Sinnoh region, but the dark clouds only seemed to match Blake's mood.

Grace's hug had stopped him from breaking down in front of the group completely, only shedding a few tears in Lana's behalf. But after the girl's sacrifice for him, Blake decided that he now had a new goal at the very top of his list. He was going to find Lana.

* * *

><p><strong>And BAM! We got the first chapter with the beginning of the Storm. All that build up to reach this point, but now it comes to a sudden halt with Lana sacrificing herself to seal Abyss Arceus away. But even with Sander's plot being thwarted, two more Commissioners are still out there with their own sinister plots.<strong>

**So what do you think after the first chapter of the Storm? I'm warning now that things will get darker as time goes on, and if you thought this was pretty exiting, you'll be in for a good ride once the Storm really gets going.**

**If you have any questions, shoot, I'll try and answer them if you have some. And I'm sorry if I didn't answer any earlier questions, I'll get around to them in the morning if I can.**

**Unfortunately, this will probably be my last update for a while. Internet is getting cut, sorry guys. But I'll keep writing so that the moment it comes back I have an update ready and waiting for you guys! :D**

**Peace out!**


	39. Momentary Peace

Chapter 39

**10/26/0046/Night**

**Eterna City**

**Pokemon Center**

The Crests that had been gathered together at the Mt Corenet Battle Dome were now located in the Eterna City Pokemon Center, grouped together in the lounge where they were watching yet another rerun of the biggest event in the Sinnoh Region.

"We have just received news from Professor Cedar that the two Pokemon that had appeared at Mt Corenet have been confirmed to Legendary Pokemon. While the reason for the appearance of these two Pokemon has yet to be determined, Professor Cedar has put out a warning for anyone living near Mt Corenet to leave the area for now as researchers come to investigate." The anchor went on before looking toward the co-anchor that was seated beside him.

"In other news, the IBF Tourney has come to a conclusion and while the winner wasn't declared properly, the officials that were present did come to a conclusion during the event that followed the final match." The co-anchor explained as multiple images appeared on the screen showing the havoc and destruction of the Battle Dome when Abyss Arceus appeared.

Specific spots in the images were zoomed in on, revealing Blake's still active Typhlosion saving Blake from Abyss Arceus's initial as well as Griffen returning his unconscious Magmortar to its Poke-ball.

"The trainer known as Blake from New Bark Town has been named this year's number one contender for the IBF Title. Unfortunately, the IBF Champion was attending the finals, but he hasn't been found yet in the Mt Corenet Battle Dome or the surrounding area. For now, stay tuned as we get live feed from the search and rescue team that's inside Mt Corenet.

* * *

><p>"Blake, where are you going?" Grace called out to the boy that was headed for the exit of the Pokemon Center. Blake came to a stop before turning enough to see Grace out of the corner of his eyes.<p>

"I'm going to Canalave City to catch a boat back to Johto." Blake replied. "Nurse Joy told me that Ryuu is suffering from some kind of infection called Pokeosis and she can't treat it at the moment. She suggested that I go to Professor Elm and Evergreen in Johto since the two of them put out a notice that they have been working on a vaccine for it."

"So you weren't going to tell anyone, were you?" Grace inquired through narrow eyes which gained a rather cold stare from Blake. That was something she had received from him in a while.

"I wasn't planning on it. Right now I have no time to waste." Blake replied, reminding Grace of why he was in such a rush to get going again.

"Blake, I know you want to find Lana as fast as you can. So do I, but you can't just go running around wherever you want to anymore. The Dark Crests will surely be targeting you now since they need you to break the seal on Abyss Arceus." Grace said, trying to reason with Blake who turned around to face her properly.

"Look...if this was a few days I would've been gone a long time ago. But after seeing Arceus ruin everything at Mt Corenet, I can tell that you guys clearly aren't spewing garbage. It has to be real." Blake began. "But I already failed everyone once, I'm not going to let it happen a second time."

"Well...if you're that set on leaving, then let me come with you." Grace pleaded, deciding that it was best that she join in him wherever he goes now.

"...Fine then. Ten minutes is all you've got to get your stuff." Blake said, receiving a cheer from Grace before she took off in a sprint toward the elevator so that she could return to her room.

'Man, just when I thought I would get some peace and quiet.' Blake muttered to himself, wondering if should just leave while he still had the chance.

The thought of traveling alone with his headphones on all the time was indeed a very appealing thought. but one fact stood out like a sore thumb to Blake.

He couldn't travel alone on the ground. His sense of direction was tolal crap, and he was sure to get lost on the way to Canalave City whether he wanted to or not. And the few times had traveled by himself he had been hopelessly lost most of the time. He had to rely on directions from passing travelers as well the map function of his Pokedex.

As the time limit he had given Grace approached, Blake stood by the exit. Looking out the door, Blake placed his hand on the handle, prepared to push it open to make is exit. But as he pushed forward, a voice called out to him.

"Sorry it took so long Blake, we had to say good bye to everyone before we left." That wasn't Grace's voice. It was too deep.

"Matt?" Blake turned on his heels to find Matt standing behind him along with Grace who only gave him a small grin. "Grace..."

"It's just so boring to travel with you alone Blake. You never talk, so I asked Matt to come with us." Grace explained, receiving a half hearted glare from Blake. In reply, Grace blew a raspberry at him before Matt took charge.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Matt asked, stepping toward the front doors of the Pokemon Center which he proceeded to open before motioning for the two of them follow him. "Let's make some tracks!"

Both Grace and Matt left first, leaving Blake to shrug now that he had managed to pick up a pair of traveling companions in a moment's notice.

'Hmm…maybe this won't be so bad.' Blake muttered to himself, recalling the times he had spent traveling with this duo. Maybe he was better off traveling with them.

**11/17/0047/Late Afternoon**

**Canalave City**

**Harbor**

The trip to Canalave City had been long and rather scary. The event on Mt Corenet nearly a month ago had caused mass hysteria throughout the Sinnoh Region as people that had been attending the IBF Finals spread their stories throughout the region. But every word of it was true.

_"It was a freakin' massacre!"_

_"I never thought I'd see the day when Pokemon would kill humans."_

_"It was…horrific."_

The dark tale of hundreds of people being killed by strange Pokemon at the IBF Finals had put all of Sinnoh in shock. People that owned Pokemon as pets or assistants were now keeping a distance from their Pokemon, even going as far as to release their Pokemon, believing that they were dangerous.

Now Blake, Matt and Grace stood on the ramp to border the ship that would take them directly to Olivine City which was also the location of Professor Elm's second lab. The line to get on the ship was long as many people had thought that it was best they leave Sinnoh for some time and allow the authorities to handle the situation with the Pokemon.

All of their Pokemon hadn't been released from their Poke-balls in days. In each city they went though, the citizens were paranoid. They were on the lookout just to make sure Pokemon didn't enter the cities.

Routes in between cities had been abandoned by regular people. Only trainers that had enough experience with Pokemon still possessed their partners, but the fear of Pokemon was steadily sweeping across the region. Hopefully things would be different across the seas in Johto and Kanto.

**11/20/0047/Morning**

**Olivine Harbor**

Matt gave a content yawn as he, Grace and Blake stepped off the ship that had taken them to the Johto Region. The past three days had been filled with nothing but card games and mindless chatting for these three trainers. After learning about the results of the IBF Tourney, all three of them were crushed with the fact that all of their efforts resulted in no clear winner because of the interference during the final match.

The Battle Circuit in Sinnoh had also been shut down for the time being, so none of them had participated in a single match since the end of the IBF Tourney. All they were sure about at the moment was that all of them had a very high ranking in the IBF, possibly in the top ten. But for now getting his Salamence and Absol checked out by Professor Elm was the top priority on Blake's list.

"So what's the plan now?" Matt asked, looking back at Blake how was stretching a bit.

"Now we head over to Professor Elm's lab. I want him to check out Ryuu and Absol to see if there's anything he can do." Blake explained as he motioned toward the large city that they were about to enter.

The trip to his lab took about twenty minutes, but when they arrived they found what had to be the messiest room in Johto. It was clear to them that two Professor that were working together were struggling to stay organized which was a sign that they were experiencing numerous discoveries that were taking up all their time.

The two Professors could be seen rushing around the lab in a hurried manner. Papers were scattered all over the floor and desks, and both of the two researchers looked like they hadn't slept in days. Resting in the center of the room was a large tank that contained a Pokemon that Blake was very familiar with.

It was the Heatran he had fought in Slateport City.

"Ah Blake, what can I do for you?" Elm said as he finally noticed the presence of the three trainers in his lab.

"I was in Sinnoh a few weeks ago for the IBF Tourney, and at the Finals, the stadium was attacked by Arceus." Blake explained as he took out two Poke-balls. " During the attack, Ryuu...my Salamence was hit but one of the attacks from Arceus, and it has been acting very strange ever since then. And my Absol has been the same after it was hit by one of the oddly colored Pokemon at the Battle Dome. Nurse Joy told me that they had been infected with something called Pokeosis, and she suggested I come to you."

Professor Elm raised an eyebrow. Perhaps this would be the missing link to explain the appearance of Pokeosis. But he had to check to make sure that his hunch was correct.

"Let me take a look." He said, accepting the Poke-ball Blake held which he placed in one of the scanners on the far side of the room. The scan only took two minutes but when it was completed, Elm had the answer to both his own dilemma and Blake's.

"Its body has taken on a high quantity of Pokeosis Blake." Elm began, calling over the boy.

"So what is it?"

"It's a disease that only affects Pokemon, although its original properties have altered. Several centuries ago Pokeosis used to enhance the growth of a Pokemon, although it rarely appeared. At the very beginning of the Dark Days its genetic make up was changed which caused it to become quite a common, and turned Pokemon in Abyss Pokemon. When they contract Pokeosis, they revert back to their original mentality where they depend solely on their instincts and fight only for themselves." Elm explained.

"Is there any way to fix this?"

"Fortunately, because you captured this Heatran I've been able to study Pokeosis. As it turns out, my hunch about Legendary Pokemon being the source of Pokeosis was correct, and after studying it for some time with Professor Evergreen, we've been working on a vaccine in the scenario that the return of the Legendary Pokemon causes Pokeosis to spread across the world like it did before the Dark Days began." Elm went on, motioning to the unconscious Pokemon that rested in the tank. "We've tested it on Pokemon that have contracted Pokeosis, but we haven't had any success so far. Our last test was about a month ago so there's no harm in trying again on your Salamence."

"So you can help us out?" Blake asked.

"Of course Blake." Elm replied, giving him a smile. "The whole process could take about three hours, so go pass some time in the city."

Blake gave him nod and a soft thanks before returning to Grace and Matt.

**Olivine City**

The change between Sinnoh was rather abrupt for Blake, Grace and Matt. Unlike the paranoid citizens of the Sinnoh Region, the people of Johto were still comfortable with Pokemon. It was rather comforting since they three trainers didn't have the freedom to release there Pokemon anywhere they wanted to in the Sinnoh Region.

There were numerous battles taking place all over the city, but at the center of the town was the location of the biggest battles in a large plaza. Matt had heard several people talking about it and insisted that they check it out, something that Grace and Blake couldn't pass of either. They hadn't battled anyone in quite some time.

Arriving at the battling site, the group three couldn't help but become excited at the sight of so many battles taking place. Now was their opportunity to get back in their groove.

All three of them jumped at the first chance they could get for a battle, but before they could even begin their battles, the bystanders quickly recognized them from the IBF Tourney. Initially Blake thought that this fact would scare away most of the trainers, but it did the opposite. He was receiving challenges left and right. Everyone wanted to test themselves against an IBF ranker.

"Gallade, finish this with Leaf Blade!" Blake called out to his Pokemon, pointing at their opponent who was using a Wartortle.

"Lade!" It said sharply as it rushed in toward Wartortle who couldn't keep up with its superior speed. Gallade crashed into Wartortle, slamming its forearms into the shell of the turtle Pokemon which sent it tumbling backwards.

Wartortle came skidding to a halt in front of its trainer, both of its eyes replaced with black swirls which marked the end of the battle.

"Nice job Gallade." Blake said, giving it a thumbs up. He had forgotten how easy some battles could be since he had only been battling against trainers that were at the IBF level for a few months now. It felt weird battling trainers that could barely keep up with him.

"Whoa, you're Gallade is so strong!" Blake's opponent exclaimed as they returned their unconscious Pokemon. Blake gave him a nod of acknowledgement before the sea of people that had been observing began to call out their requests of a battle against Blake.

Blake simply selected his opponents at random, although he had yet to face an opponent that could battle him on an even plain. Recalling the last time he was in Olivine City, Blake could remember battling numerous trainers but he was an unknown trainer that had yet to take part in the Rookie Kings. Now the whole region seemed to knew his name as trainers from all over the city flocked to battle him. He had come quite far since the beginning of his journey.

But his next opponent had broken through the crowd and stepped forward, saying that she had to battle him. Blake paid no mind to her at first, concluding that she was a highly aggressive trainer, but when she released a Meganium onto the battle ground, Blake's attention was drawn to the start Pokemon. Starter Pokemon couldn't be found to often, so he could only wonder who was trainer was. And that was when he found a familiar face.

"Mari?" Blake said, now recognizing the brunette who gave him a peace sign.

"I was just beginning to think you wouldn't say hi Blake, although you never seem to do that to begin with so…" Mari trailed off for a moment before returning her gaze to Blake. "Anyway, I saw you at the IBF Tourney and I want to battle you again."

Blake only blinked before his lips curved upward. His heart beat began to speed up as he anticipated the battle that was soon to take place. He could understand what Mari was thinking about.

This was like a rematch after the finals of the Rookie Kings.

"Let's do this." He said confidently.

"Meganium, use Vine Whip!" Mari hollered.

"Gallade, use Leaf Blade." Blake commanded.

Gallade lunged forward, its forearms becoming a dark green as Meganium threw out several thick vines at it from its neck. The psychic type Pokemon pressed forward, batting away the powerful vines close in on Meganium where it lashed out with its left arm aiming for its neck. But Meganium was prepared for this as used three of its vines to take a hold of Gallade's arm and halt its attack.

* * *

><p>Mari took a step backward from the battlefield, but stumbled over her own feet which resulted in her landing on her bottom. Blake and Gallade had finished off Meganium with a combination of Double Team, Psycho Cut and Night Slash.<p>

Mari had initially thought that using the two attacks that were polar opposites would result in the attack canceling itself out, but Gallade had balanced the two attacks appropriately. Not only had Gallade approached Meganium in a manner where it couldn't defend itself thanks to the confusion of the Double Team, but the finishing pink and black cyclone had sent a shiver up Mari's spine.

She had never seen anything like it.

At first she was holding her own against Blake, matching his pace, but Blake abruptly ended the battle as though he could've done so from the start. Looking up at the boy that Mari had deemed as her rival, she could see now how Blake rose to the top of the IBF. He was indeed a strong trainer.

Walking across the plaza, Blake came to a stop in front of Mari's Meganium where he proceeded to check the Pokemon himself. The finishing Night Slash-Psycho Cut combo had left a heavy layer of scratches on Meganium. But it was nothing Nurse Joy couldn't heal.

Blake then continued toward Mari, taking a moment to look down at her. Then he offered her a hand which she accepted with a smile before he helped her up to her feet. Mari thanked Blake kindly but as the crowd began to request a battle against Blake again, the dark haired boy decided to call it a day. He had battled over two dozen people with his entire team, and now it seemed like it was time to take a break.

Blake deadpanned with the crowd quickly dispersed since Grace and Matt were still battling like there was no tomorrow. But that didn't matter, he was more curious about how Mari got to Johto after he left the group in Sinnoh.

"Robbie's here too." She began, surprising Blake. "Right before you left, Grace and Matt came to talk to everyone and told us that its best we return to our home region. No one could really complain with that since everyone in Sinnoh is going crazy because that whole mess on Mt Corenet."

"I see..." Blake muttered. "But how did you guys get here before us?"

"Honestly, you guys are slow. Robbie and I saw you guys while we were passing through Floaroma Town. From there we thought you guys would keep up with us but we left you in the dust." Mari explained. "Assuming you guys got here today, we told the three days before your's."

Blake recalled their travels through Sinnoh. Were they really that slow? They had gotten lost in Eterna Forest so that was a waste of two days. Perhaps they did move slow pace, although that really didn't matter to Blake. But there was a topic he wanted to address Mari while he had the chance.

"Hey Mari, do you know anything about the word, Crest?" Blake asked, looking at the brunette who seemed to smile before looking directly into Blake's eyes.

"I was told that anyone with a Crest with either fight alongside the King, or against him." Was all she said. Blake seemed to cringe at the mention of the word 'King'. There were too many people addressing him as that now. But the whole thing was still shrouded with mystery. And now…he wanted to know more.

Unfortunately, his Pokedex began to ring. Blake halted their conversation for a moment to answer the call.

"Blake? It's Professor Elm."

"Yeah?" Blake replied.

"The vaccine was a success." Elm said which allowed a wave of relief to wash over Blake. "Although Salamence and Absol will need some immediate treatment at a Pokemon Center. There's still a lot of work to be done with the vaccine, but we're making progress. I'm happy to announce that your Salamence and Absol are now immune to Pokeosis."

"Thanks Professor, I'll be right over to pick them up." Blake said before ending the call. Blake then looked toward Mari, motioning for her to walk with him. "So do you know anything else?"

"I don't know much. But from what I've seen, Team Rocket seems to connected to this in someway, along with the Legendary Pokemon." Mari began as the two of the began to head in the direction of Professor Elm's lab. "I ran into Entei after the Rookie Kings, and that's when all this weird stuff started happening."

"Like what?"

"Well first it asked me to unite our Crests, and then it told me that the final clash between the Crests of Light and Darkness will fight again. I don't really get what that means at the moment, all I know is that Entei is my partner." Mari explained, revealing a small fact that Blake hadn't known.

He knew of the Dark Crests, but he only viewed them as people with bad intentions who had Crests. But it appeared as though the Crests were divided into two groups that must've been fighting beforehand.

He still had much to learn.

* * *

><p>After picking up Salamence, Blake and Mari made their way over the to the Pokemon Center where they left Salamence under the care of Nurse Joy who said it should be fine in an hour. During this time, Mari related her experience when Alan attacked her and Robbie in Sinnoh to take possession of the Mystic Water and the Magnet.<p>

From what Blake knew, Team Rocket seemed to be gathering specific items such as the Tidal Bell and Magnet. But what they were going to use these items for still didn't make any sense. What were they for?

The hour passed by rather quickly for Blake as he allowed the information he had gathered to settle into his mind. He and Mari sat in the lounge of the Pokemon Center, quietly watching reruns of the IBF Tourney that was still major subject for the media.

Nurse Joy stepped into the room, waving to Blake which gained his attention. She then motioned for him to come over to her which he did silently.

"Your Salamence and Absol are completely healed." She said with a smile.

"Thanks." Was all Blake said in return as he accepted the Poke-ball from the woman. As Blake clipped the Poke-ball back onto his belt, he turned around to find Mari standing up with her Pokedex pressed against her right ear.

"Yeah, we'll be there in a few minutes." She said before hanging up. "Robbie just called, he, Grace and Matt are heading over the Battle Dome and they want us to come too."

"Alright." And with the that, the two of them began the rather short journey to the Battle Dome which was on the other side of town.

Blake could easily assume that the plan was for all of them to have a match on the same night to show off the skills they had gained since their separation at Goldenrod City. And he was completely fine with that. After all, he had yet to see how much Robbie had improved.

The trip took about a half an hour, but Blake and Mari entered the Battle Dome, the found a rather strange sight. The front desk was completely empty which was odd for a Battle Dome. This was normally the most crowded area next to the stands on the night of match.

Instead, the trainers seemed to be packed into the lounge where everyone's attention was drawn to large television that was displaying a live feed from a special news report.

"We have two helicopters arriving at the scene that was once New bark Town. Most people known this town as a rest top where you're going to or from Tojho Falls, but its come to our attention that entire time has just disappear right off the map." The newscaster explained. "And its place is a barren, blackened field. It appears as though the area was razed to the ground by some unknown force, but we still haven't been able to determine the cause of this."

Blake's eyes widened as he saw the sight of what was once his home town. The green pasture he had grown up on was nothing more than a smoldering pile of ash. What happened?!

Blake felt sick to his stomach for a moment before he steeled himself. Was this a natural occurrence? Or could it possibly be related to the Crests? Either way, he wanted answers. And he was heading to New Bark Town to find out for himself.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 39<strong>.

**I know's its been a long time guys, and I'm sorry for the wait, but here is the next chapter. Now we have Blake moving on from the event in Sinnoh, deciding to switch his focus from the Battle Circuit to mystery surrounding the Crests. But while Blake changes his focus, Sinnoh is in shambles as the trust between humans and Pokemon diminishes.**

**Sorry again for the long wait, and hopefully I will reduce the wait time some more in the future. I'm nearing the completion of my other Pokemon fic, so once that is finished I'll have more free time to work on this as well as my third fic.**

**What did you all think? Was this chapter any good? Give me something guys, and thanks for all the support during the IBF Finals guys, much appreciated! :D And while I'm on the topic of reviews, I'd like to mention that the incredibly long review from Farla is something I asked for. I'd like to thank her for that review and for tearing apart my work to see what I can work on.**

**Thanks for all the reviews guys and I encourage you to keep it up! Makes me all happy and giddy! Anyway, peace out!**


	40. Untold Truths

Part 40

**OlivineCity**

**Battle Dome**

"Have you guys seen Blake?" Grace asked as she approached Robbie and Matt who shook their heads.

"No, I haven't seen him yet." Matt replied.

"I gave Mari a call. She said she was with Blake and they were on their way to the Battle Dome like an hour ago." Robbie explained.

"An hour ago…" Grace muttered, glancing around the lounge that was still packed with people. She had a vague idea of what Mari looked like, but to find her in this crowd was the challenge. "Do any of you see her?"

Robbie and Matt looked around the room as well before Robbie spotted the girl near the entrance, struggling to watch the news report like the other occupants. Squeezing her way through the crowd, Grace made her way over to Mari who greeted her with a wave before the two of them left the lounge to speak in a more comfortable environment.

"Mari, do you have idea where Blake is?" Grace asked, looking toward the girl who perked up at the question. Now she realized that she had lost track of Blake after entering the Battle Dome lounge.

"The last time I saw him was when we first got here. We saw everyone in the lounge so we decided to see what was going on." Mari began. "After that I got sucked into the room and lost track of Blake. I haven't seen him since then."

Grace looked down, trying to figure out if she should be worried about Blake or not. He could be somewhere in the Battle Dome at this very moment, but the fact that the news was broadcasting something about New Bark Town made her second guess her first conclusion. Blake was from New Bark Town, and Grace felt confident that Blake must have taken off to go investigate the situation there.

If Blake did travel to New Bark Town, Grace was sure that he was bound to meet up with something bad. She could only assume that a town disappearing off the map in an instant had to do with the Dark Crests and the Storm.

"We have to get to New Bark Town."

**11/22/0046/Late Morning**

**Route 29**

Blake rested on the back of his trusty Salamence who was currently flying at top speed toward the New Bark Town. The journey had taken two entire days, but by using the map on his Pokedex, Blake managed to stay on course the entire time.

Salamence was finally back to normally, and when he had released it from its Poke-ball two days before, it had no knowledge of its actions. Blake decided to leave it at that, pleased with the fact that he could freely use Salamence again. Since then the two of them had been in the sky. A majority of the trip had been done by flying, but when they stopped for Salamence to rest, Blake continued to move on foot so as not to waste any time.

Now the two of them were closing in on New Bark Town, or what was left of it.

'Is that it…?' Blake asked himself as he saw the grassy green fields of Route 29 turn completely black. In fact, not just the grass, everything looked as though the life had been sucked out of it. "Slow down Ryuu."

The dragon reduced its speed as they entered the skies above the dark plains. The scent of a grassy field was gone. The skies had become cloudy.

Salamence continued to float as the black plains continued for a while before Blake caught sight a single structure in the distance.

'What's that?' Blake asked himself before pointing it out to Salamence. "Ryuu, let's land there."

Salamence gave Blake a nod in reply before it began to its decent, coming to a soft landing outside of the gate of a building that was all to familiar to Blake. There was sign on the gate that was tilted sideways and worn out that read 'New Bark Town Orphanage'.

"What happened?" Blake asked himself as he jumped off of Salamence's back before returning it to its Poke-ball with a quick thanks for its help. Give the gate a soft shove, Blake found that it wouldn't budge at all. Using more force this time, Blake still found that it was firmly planted in its position, so he resorted to jumping over the fence to enter his old stomping ground.

Slowly walking up toward the front porch of the building, Blake could remember his last conversation with Lola before he left on his journey. But as he placed on foot on the first step of the porch, the wood snapped under his weight.

"It looks like no one has been here in ages." Blake noted out loud, wondering how stable the rest of the porch could be. Tossing backpack onto the porch itself, Blake found it was more stable than the steps. Bypassing the steps with a small jump, Blake collected his backpack from the floor before advancing toward the entrance of the orphanage.

Taking a hold of the door knob, Blake gave it a twist but the knob popped out of its place. Blake could hear a clang from the other side of the door.

'It really does look like no one's has been here in a while.' Blake noted, looking back at the poor condition of the front porch. Blake slammed his shoulder into the door after remembering how stubborn the gate was, but his surprise, it broke right of its hinges as Blake came into contact with it.

Blake went tumbling into the orphanage, coming a stop in front of the staircase that led up to the rooms on the left side of the building.

"What the…?" Blake looked around at the aged building. It was a dusty mess. The floor boards were rotting. The paintings on the walls had faded as if several decades had gone by. "What happened?"

Blake rose to his feet, the floor creaking beneath him. The first thing he did was rush up to the second floor, checking each of the rooms. It looked as though the rooms had been touched in ages.

"Hey, is anybody here?" Blake called out, hoping that someone would answer him. In reply though, Blake only received the piercing screech of a Fearow which sent a shiver down his spine.

Blake whirled around, searching for the voice, but he could not find the source. Racing out the room he had been standing in, Blake made his way to the cafeteria next, finding that it was completely vacant as well. Spotting the balcony he would use to enter the cafeteria every morning while he was living in the orphanage, Blake sprinted up the staircase to return to his own room.

Bursting into his room, Blake found that his room, and his room only appeared to be in use. The paint wasn't peeling, the floor was polished and the room didn't smelt nice compared the rest of the house. But before he could allow himself to relax, Blake dropped to one knee clutching his head as he felt the pain of a splitting headache.

'Come up to the attic'. This command was spelled out on the wall above his bed. Blake looked up at the words through one eye, and he felt a shiver run down his spine for the second time since he had arrived. Something was definitely wrong…

Rising up to his feet, Blake leaned against the wall for support as he made his way out of his room. If he wanted an answer, it seemed as though the attic would be the location of what he desired.

As he moved down the hall, the pain from the headache only intensified, to the point where Blake would stop himself to massage his temples. This did little to relax t he pain, but Blake refused to turn back. New Bark Town had been wiped off the map, and the orphanage was one great big mystery. He had to many questions and he couldn't leave without any of them being answered.

Reaching the staircase that would taken him up to the third floor, Blake slowly scaled the stairs. As he came to the top of the staircase, Blake's eyes narrowed as he scanned the hallway. It was much colder up here compared to the last floor.

Continuing forward, there was only one more staircase separating him from the attic. Just a little bit farther. Nearing the finally staircase, Blake decided to go the incline all in one go but he paid the price for this when he made it to the attic. It felt like he had been hit in the head by a charging Tauros.

"It's about time you got here Blake."

Blake's eyes became wide as he heard this voice.

"Lola?" Blake looked up, but he was greeted by a sight he never thought he would.

It was a Lola. And she was holding hands with the one person Blake still scorned.

"Alan!" Blake snapped, rising to his feet. He could ignore this headache. "What are you going here?"

"I have some good news Blake, Alan and I made up." Lola exclaimed happily, but Blake gaze was firmly planted on the man who had deserted this orphanage many years ago, leaving Lola to handle everything on her own. Alan gave Blake a smile as well. A crooked one.

"You're seriously going to trust him after what he did to everyone?!" Blake shouted her, pointing at Alan.

"Blake, please calm down." Lola began as Alan stepped toward him. Blake instinctively took a step back, settling against the wall.

"Come on Blake, I was waiting to apologize specifically to you." Alan said, only to be interrupted by Blake.

"Don't apologize to me, apologize to all of the kids here who would go to bed without dinner because you weren't here." Blake hissed at him with a dark glare.

"Why would I apologize to a bunch of illusions?" Alan muttered.

"Illusions?" Blake repeated the last word of Alan's previous question. "What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious Blake. Look around you. This place hasn't been touched in decades." Alan began, watching as Blake took some time to examine the room. Blake had to agree though. There was something wrong with the orphanage he had left several months ago compared to the one he returned to.

"What did you do to the orphanage Alan?!" Blake snapped at him. "Where is everyone?!"

"They never existed." Alan replied.

"What?"

"He's right Blake. I'm sorry to say, but all of those kids you grew up with weren't real people." Lola added.

"You know what, let's just get straight to the point." Alan said, raising his left arm into the air. His Crest lit up in its usual dark color, but Blake's eyes widen with surprise as Lola did the same.

"No." Blake said in a whisper before Lola's wrist lit up in a dark color that matched Alan's. One red star and one blue star burst into the attic from above, the intense light coming from their body cooling down after a few moments.

Floating beside Alan was a Latios.

Floating beside Lola was a Latias.

"You're…a Dark Crest?" Blake asked as he began to slide down against the wall, unable to stand any longer. His headache took priority again. Placing a hand against his forehead, Blake grinded his teeth together, trying to distract himself from the pain. But nothing was helping this time.

"Yes Blake..." Lola began, motioning to her Crest. "This is why the orphanage is in such a state. It was all an illusion. In fact, New Bark Town has been nothing but an illusion as well. The people of Johto recognized it as a backwater town, but travelers rarely passed through, only stopping to visit Professor."

"Your childhood Blake, it was nothing but an illusion. You spent all of those years growing up in an illusion that Latias had created." Alan explained a with a twisted smile. "Everything that happened here-"

"Shut up!" Blake roared, slapping the floor with both of his hands. He couldn't take it anymore. His headache had gotten ten times worth with this new fact. It had only been a few moments, but Blake's brain had gone into overdrive trying to contemplate all of this.

The one person he had trusted during his time at the orphanage was a Dark Crest. And a conniving one at that. Not only had she been lying to him from the very beginning, but she turned his entire life into a lie as well.

What was the truth then? Who could he trust if his figurative mother had turned everything into a lie? Was his journey a farce as well?

Blake felt his right hand slip off the side of the staircase, this weight imbalance causing him to tip over. Blake only hit seven or eight of the thirteen stairs, but he was in a daze when he finally reached the bottom. His entire world was spinning, and the edges were beginning to fade away into the darkness.

Alan and Lola looked down at Blake's unmoving body from the top of the staircase. They could conclude that he was unconscious now.

"Good work Lola, Sander will be happy." Alan commented.

"The King will be of no use to Sander once we unseal Abyss Arceus. Once that's over we'll finally be able to head over to Hoenn."

"I can't wait."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 40.<strong>

**Short chapter, I know. Sorry about that, but now we're heading toward what will probably be the biggest chapter of the story, so I wanted the build up to be appropriate rather than rushing straight toward it. Boy I'm excited now since we're moving towards all of the stuff I had been promising you guys like twenty chapters ago.**

**Anyway, what did you think of this chapter? Confusing? Surprising? Tell me what you felt.**

**So peace out all! Next update is on the way! :D**


	41. Some Things are Better left Untouched

Part 41

_"Hey mister, are you okay?" A small child approached Blake who was curled up on the ground in a fetal position. Blake remained silent, allowing his bangs to fall in front of his eyes. He had nothing to say. There was nothing he could say._

_"You look like you could use some help." The child continued, kneeling down beside him. "Don't worry, I can help!"_

_Blake peeked through his bangs to find a rather interesting sight. The child resembled him. In fact, Blake was even willing to conclude that it was him during his childhood._

_"Who are you?" Blake asked._

_"I'm you."_

_"Me?"_

_"Yup. You put me here." The boy went on. "Don't you remember? And then you locked the door."_

_"No…I don't remember doing that." Blake replied._

_"But you did."_

_Blake shut his mouth after this. Nothing was making sense anymore. What reason did he have to not believe that this child in front of him was really him._

_"I really am you."_

_"What?" Blake asked._

_"I heard your thoughts. I'm telling the truth. I am you."_

_"Yeah, sure kid." Was all Blake said in reply._

_"Can I help you?"_

_"Do whatever you want."_

* * *

><p>"Look, that must be New Bark Town!" Grace shouted to the group from Robbie's Pidgeot, getting a shout from Matt and Robbie who were also packed on the back of the bird. The two guys had almost fallen off from Grace's sudden outburst, and they couldn't help but glare at the girl.<p>

Mari, who was hanging from the feet of her Altaria, couldn't help but giggle as she looked at the group.

They had finally arrived in New Bark Town, or, what was left of it. Mari and Robbie were very confused as their Pokemon came in for a landing. It had been several months since they visited New Bark Town to meet Professor Elm, but the town looked nothing that what they saw during their last visit.

It had been a quite town located on one large grassy plain near the exit of Tohjo Falls, filled with small homes. But as they recalled the few hours they spent in the town, the two of them noticed that they had never actually seen any of the people who supposedly lived here. They just assumed that the owners of those homes were just out in the town somewhere.

"What happened here?" Robbie asked out loud, but no one in the group had an answer either.

"That building…it's the same one I was brought too when I first came to Johto." Matt said rather softly as they approached the New Bark Town Orphanage. He had last left this house after receiving some encouragement from the owner Lola. But as he looked at the building, something was definitely off. "This is where Blake lived. Maybe he's inside."

"An orphanage?" Robbie exclaimed.

"Blake's an orphan?" Mari asked, looking toward Matt and Grace. Matt only shrugged while Grace seemed to think about it for a moment.

"Sort of." She replied. "It's just a really messy story that I'll share with you guys later. Right now, we have to find to Blake."

The group of four quickly entered the orphanage, doing their best to avoid breaking the rotting wood before they conducted their search for Blake. They spent about half and hour searching the orphanage from top to bottom, but one chilling fact presented itself at the end of their search.

Blake wasn't here.

**11/24/0046/Evening**

**Route 40**

The massive stretch of water between Olivine City and Cianwood City was a sight to behold as Alan and Lola looked down at each of the Whirl Islands that they were passing over.

They were closing on Cianwood, although their destination was past the isolated city. Both of the Dark Crests rested on the back of their respective Legendary Pokemon, although Latias had an extra passenger aside for Lola. Blake was also on its back, leaning against Lola in his slumber.

"He still hasn't woken up yet?" Alan called out from Latios, looking toward Lola who shook her head. "Well wake him up, we're getting close to the Embedded Tower."

Lola sighed before looking back at Blake who was seated behind her on Latias. Brushing her hand against his neck, this gained a snort from Blake. He was a heavy sleeper back at the orphanage, and this was how she would wake him up in the morning if his alarm clock couldn't get the job done. Blake seemed to shutter a bit before his eyes opened up.

The teenage boy gave a content yawn before realizing that he was in unfamiliar surroundings.

"Ah Blake, I'm glad to see you're awake. Did you sleep well?" Lola asked kindly with a warm smile, hoping to get on Blake's good side.

"Yeah, I did." He replied, studying Lola's face for a few moments. "Sorry miss, but who are you?"

Alan glanced at Blake as he stared intently at Lola as if he knew her from somewhere, but the boy just couldn't seem to place his finger on it. There plan had been a success.

They had forced Blake to revert back to his former self before he was kidnapped from Ecruteak City. He was now nothing more than a child with a great purpose but blissfully unaware of his importance.

'Too easy.' Alan noted as Blake then noticed the Pokemon he was riding on. The boy seemed to be amazed with Latias's sleek design as well as the color red.

In a matter of minutes they were passing over Cianwood City, and their goal came into side. Among the steep cliffs that made up the south side of the island Cianwood City was located on stood tall tower that was embedded into the side of the cliffs although its height far exceeded that of the cliffs.

"Latios, down there." Alan said, pointing down at the small platform that was in front of the entrance to the Embedded Tower.

"This is so cool!" Blake exclaimed as he stared at the Embedded Tower, amazed with the architectural feat that stood centuries after it was built.

The landing was quick and easy with the two aerodynamic Pokemon.

"Come on Blake." Lola said, motioning for the boy to follow her. "This way."

Blake followed obediently, entering the tall stone tower behind Alan and Lola. As they began to travel down the sole corridor of the tower, Blake took notice of a strange design on the wall that was made up of intersecting lines and circles that only consisted of three colors. Red, blue and green.

"This place feels…familiar." Blake said as they traveled down a rather short corridor which led out into a large room.

"It should feel familiar Blake. This is the place where your Crest was bestowed upon you." Lola replied as they entered the largest room of the tower.

As they observed the room, the trio could see that three opposing colors and designs that had been in the corridor traveled throughout the room, but at the center of the room was where the three colors met in a circle.

Blake's Crest opened upon his entrance to the room, shinning far brighter than it normally would.

"Wow!" Blake exclaimed in amazement as Lola and Alan motioned for him to head to the center of the room. As Blake neared the middle, his Crest continued to become brighter until he could no longer be seen. Stepping into the center circle, a vertical ray of light was fired up to the top of the tower, bathing Alan and Lola in a harsh white light that forced them to cover their eyes to avoid being blinded.

The entire room became white in the light for several moments before it died down, revealing that the circle Blake had been standing on had disappeared into the floor belong along with Blake. Approaching the hole in the floor, Alan and Lola peered down into the room below, unable to prevent their lips from curving upward into a smile.

"Oww." Blake whined as he held his left shoulder which he had landed on after a long thirty foot drop. Wincing in pain for a few moments, Blake only held his shoulder until his attention was draw to a sparkling object in front of him. Looking upward, Blake stared in astonishment as he found a large crystalline structure that ran from the floor all the way up the ceiling of the room he had fallen into. But what had really gained his attention wasn't the simply shape of the crystalline, but what was on the inside of it.

A black centaur. A white dragon. And a brown haired beauty.

"Lana-chan!" Blake shouted, calling out to the frozen girl. She was big now. And she was even prettier than the last time he had seen her. The boy continued to shout at the girl, expecting an answer as Alan and Lola descended in the room on the backs of Latios and Latias.

"Blake, she won't answer you. She's trapped." Lola explained to the boy to silence him.

"Trapped?" He repeated.

"Yes. This is what happens when you raise your Crest to level four and place the seal on something." Alan cut in.

Blake could recall a warning he had received from Yumi and Nozomi.

_"Blake-kun, never, and I mean never, use the sealing method you're granted when you raise your Crest to level four. Once the seal is activated, you will be encased in crystal for the rest of your life." Yumi explained._

_"Only the King is capable of breaking the seal. If you seal yourself away, there won't be anyone who will have the ability to save. Hopefully a situation like that won't present itself though. But Breaking a seal will leave you in a comatose for an extended period of time."_

"Only I can break her free." Blake concluded, unaware of the fact that the two adults that were with him had be previously been preparing to coax him into performing this task. Alan and Lola didn't think it would be this easy to make Blake break the seal on Lana, Lugia and Abyss Arceus, but that would only speed things up.

"Good ahead Blake, break the seal and free the girl." Alan said, motioning for the boy to continue. Blake stepped up to the structure that held the two enormous Pokemon, placing his hand on it in order to find the focal point of the seal. The seal was easy top spot since it was an exact replica of Blake's Crest that shinned in the room, and it was within Blake's reach.

Placing his palm on the Crest, Blake opened up his own Crest to level three recalling what he had learned from Yumi about breaking a seal. Focusing what energy he could into his palm, Blake molded the raw energy into the shape of the spearhead which he then used to pierce through the focal point of the seal.

The sound of glass breaking rung through the entire room before a blast of light blue sparkles flew out in all directions from the seal, a getting a look of awe from Blake as he appreciated its beauty. Alan and Lola gave each other a nod before looking toward Latios and Latias, returning to the backs of their Legendary partners.

"Mission success." Alan said as the Eon Pokemon began to rise toward the ceiling, exiting the room through the entrance Blake had created for them earlier.

Shards of the crystalline structure began to break off one by one. Small first, but the continued to grow larger. As the crystal building collapsed, Blake felt a sudden drain on his stamina. Although he had to admit that it didn't feel bad. Something was inviting him to fall asleep on the spot, and Blake fail to fight against the urge for more than a few moments.

The last thing he saw was a large chuck the crystal falling toward him, but Blake couldn't convince his body to move. His Crest flickered back to life for a moment, right before he was crushed, a dull thud marking the moment in time when the heavy object hit the ground, followed by several more landing on top of it.

The occupants that had been inside of the large crystal had finally begun to awaken, the first being Lugia. The piercing eyes of the large white Legendary Pokemon snapped open, although Lugia seemed to be shocked at the fact that it was able to move again.

**"Wha, what's going on?" **Lugia asked, looking around a bit through its blurry vision which cleared up after a few moments. Lugia then took note of Lana who was still resting on the head of Abyss Arceus. Neither of them had moved yet, but Lugia found that its gaze had been drawn away from Lana to a pair of glowing red eyes.

Abyss Arceus roared which gave Lugia a fright. Lugia could recall its last encounter with Abyss Arceus on Mt Corenet, and from that short battle, Lugia could tell that it wouldn't be able to defeat the black centaur on its own. Focusing on Lana, Lugia quickly snatched the girl away from Abyss Arceus with the help of its Psychic attack before fleeing from the Embedded Tower with the use of Teleport.

Abyss Arceus stood alone for a few moments, scanning the room. But its vision had been clouded by crystals that it had previously been trapped in. The beast only gave another roar as if to vent its frustration.

**Sinnoh Region**

**Mt Corenet**

**Spear Pillar**

Sander stood alone on top one of the tall stone pillars that gave this area in Mt Corenet its name.

After the closing of the battle in Mt Corenet, Sander had been experiencing a rather uneventful time. Now that Abyss Arceus was free from its bindings with Pure Arceus, he didn't have much to do.

Just a few hours after Abyss Arceus had been sealed away, Sander had been contacted by a pair of people he hadn't seen in quite sometime. Alan and Lola appeared before him in Spear Pillar about a month ago, and they had come with a proposition.

They had agreed to unseal Abyss Arceus for him _and_ give him another Dark Crest for him to use as he pleases. But in return, Sander would have to keep his hands off of the Crest of Jirachi.

_"The two of you are still scheming to take the King's Crest for yourself, aren't you?" Sander asked with a cackle as the Eon duo joined him in his laugh._

_"We are no where near as simple minded as the rest of you. We have bigger plans in mind." Alan replied with a smirk._

Sander had to admit though, this duo was incredibly useful. Who would've though that they would be the ones to discover the Dark Crest he had been searching for. And this girl would be far more useful than the group of mindless children he had taken full control off.

Glancing down at the twenty two year old amber haired woman that was seated at the base of the pillar Sander was seated on, Sander couldn't help but give her a crooked smile which she remained unaware of.

Alan had given him a guidebook on how to manipulate Maria Holker as he pleased. The girl was searching for a way to revive her late fiancé, and this made it far to easy for him to bend her into the tool he would need as the Storm progressed.

Sander felt a small surge of energy run through his Crest which lit up, but instead of the usual gray color it possessed, his Crest was black. This had only happened on before. The day he had freed Abyss Arceus.

"Excellent work Alan and Lola. The two of you never fail to impress me."

* * *

><p><strong>Another short chapter. Sorry about this again guys, but we've finally made it. The Storm had finally begun back in Sinnoh only for an immediate stop thanks to Lana, but now that Abyss Arceus is free once again, we'll finally see what's in store for the world.<strong>

**I know these past two chapters have been really short, but trust me, the next chapter will make up for it. I had been building up toward this chapter since the second chapter of this fic, and now I'm finally writing it. This is so exciting.**

**I want to thank all of you guys for the reviews too. I'll do my absolute best on the next chapter, so until next time. Peace!**


	42. The Reign of Terror

Part 42

**Cherrygrove City**

"This is a pretty nice place Mari." Grace noted as the group of four entered the flower shop that Mari's mother owned. Mari beamed as she looked around the shop, observing just how much progress her mother and the town's people had made.

She had left the shop several months ago in terrible condition. At the moment in time, it seemed as though the shop was going to fail and the entire town was going to go bankrupt. But now…now Mari could see that the town she loved so much was returning to beautiful place she had spent her entire childhood in. And the citizens were slowly returning to the peaceful life they had been experiencing before the Team Rocket attack.

"We have Mari to thank for that." Mari's mother remarked with a smile as she entered the shop from the corridor in the back.

"Really?" Grace asked, glancing at Mari.

"Oh yes, after the whole Team Rocket fiasco, Mari had been sending us her Battle Circuit winnings in order to assist us in paying off the debt we owe the Committee." The older woman explained. "Thanks to Mari, we were able to by most of the supplies we needed to rebuild the town."

"Wait, I thought you said that money went to the debt." Mari inquired.

"Oh I'm sorry; there were two trainers that were sending us money. Mari's money paid for the supplies while the money from the boy went to the debt." Mari mother looked up in thought. "He was sending us so much money that we decided to keep Mari's money to help with the construction."

"How much money was sending?" Matt asked.

"Lately he was sending us money with six or seven figures. The mayor said that it was probably the equivalent of a trainer who had made it to the IBF."

"What his name?" Grace asked suddenly. Now everyone wanted to know who this generous person was.

"Let's see, I believe it was Bryan." She replied, leaving everyone a little disappointed. "No, no…it was Blake."

"No way, it was Blake?" Robbie exclaimed.

"Yup." Her mother replied with a smile before her attention was drawn to the entrance of the shop were a customer. "Mari, why don't you and friends head to the back."

Mari gave her mother a nod and took her suggestion, leading Grace, Robbie and Matt to the back of the store which was actually the two bed room apartment they had built as an extension to their store.

"Hey Grace, now that I think about it. You never told us how Blake is an orphan." Matt pointed out as they entered the kitchen of the apartment where all of them but Mari took a seat at the small table.

"Oh yeah, I wanted to hear about-" Robbie began, but he was silence as his Crest along with everyone else's lit up in a sinister black.

"Grace…" Mari muttered before looking up at the dark haired girl who was staring at her Crest intently.

There was a few moments of silence before Grace rose up from her seat abruptly, almost knocking over the chair in the process.

"I know I said we should rest for some time guys, but something has gone terribly wrong. We have to get to Ecruteak City right away." Grace declared.

Whirl Islands

Lana shot up from the ground a cold sweat, taking several shallow breaths. She had been sleeping peacefully until her Crest had lit up in a dark light which instantly clouded her dream, turning it into a dark nightmare of Abyss Arceus annihilating everything its path.

Once her breathing had steadied, Lana looked around, recognizing her surroundings as the caves she had met Lugia in during her childhood. She visited these caves quite frequently, and she could tell that she was in the deepest part of the Whirl Islands based on how damp the ground was.

**"At last, you're awake."**

Lana looked around a bit before attention was drawn to a large pool of water which Lugia emerged from.

"Wait…awake?" Lana said as her most recent memories rushed into her head. The last thing she had seen was Abyss Arceus dematerializing beneath Lugia as she sealed it away along with herself. Why was she awake? And how much time passed since the sealing. "What happened?"

**"I wish I knew."** Lugia replied as Lana rose up from the floor.

"The only person that has the ability to break a seal created by a Crest is the King. Did Blake, unseal us?"

**"It's the only explanation."**

"But why would he do something like that?" Lana muttered before looking toward Lugia. "Can you send me to Ecruteak City?"

**Kanto Region**

**Indigo Plateau**

The large headquarters of the Pokemon Committee was in peril as numerous men and women in black swarmed through the building, capturing and detaining any and all faculty.

"What the hell is going on!?" Stanly asked angrily as he, Brad, Randy, Jackie and Dustin barricaded the only entrance to the room they had been meeting in. It had been a rather plain day for the Committee members, that is, until they came under attack from Team Rocket.

There was no time to prepare. It was clear that Team Rocket had traveled through Victory Road to make sure they would remain undetected until the time of the attack. Now the entire Pokemon Committee was under siege.

"Why would Team Rocket launch a full assault on Indigo Plateau?" Stanly asked out loud as he assisted Brad with moving one of the tables in front of the door. "This makes no sense."

"They must be after something." Brad noted out loud.

"The Commissioner!" Jackie exclaimed before realization dawned on Stanly.

"Of course! We need to get to his room right now!" Stanly shouted before glancing at the only door they had just finished blocking up.

"No time to waste!" Dustin yelled as he tossed a Poke-ball into the air, releasing his Medicham into the room. "Clear the way with Psychic Medicham!"

The dual type Pokemon raised both its hands into the air about its head as its eyes gained a bright blue color. All of the objects blocking the gained a blue outline before they were lifted into the air and tossed aside, allowing the group to exit.

"Let's go!" Dustin shouted as he practically tore the door off its hinges to open it before he came face to face with several Team Rocket members.

"Get them!" The group roared, but Dustin made the first move. He kneed the closest grunt in the gut, resulting in them hunching over where Dustin proceeded to grab the back of his shirt. Hurling the grunt at his comrades, Dustin grinned when he succeeded in knocking over most of the group.

"Good job Dustin!" Stanly said to him friend as the rest of them exited the room.

"You guys go on, we'll hold them off!" Randy called out as he stopped beside Dustin, releasing his Ambipom for it to enter the battle.

"Good luck!" Jackie shouted as she followed Stanly and Brad. The group of three rounded the corner, leaving Randy and Dustin to give each other a smirk before turning to the Team Rocket grunts that were returning to their feet.

"Commissioner!" Stanly and Jackie shouted together as they burst into the room of the older gentlemen followed by Brad. But what they found was an empty, dark room.

"Hello?" Jackie called out rather nervously. As the group of three moved further into the room in the hope that they would find the figure head of the Pokemon Committee, the doors of the room shut suddenly, swallowing them in darkness. "H-Hey, what's going on?"

Stanly felt Jackie latch onto his arm. She was trembling. Jackie was bright young woman, so bright that the fact that she was almost useless under pressure was cast aside when she was accepted into the Pokemon Committee.

There were thirteen small light sources lit up along the walls of the room, each of them possessing one eye and a black body that somewhat resembled different letters of the alphabet. There was a soft cackle from the one corner of the room that couldn't be seen despite the small lights that's all of them looked toward.

"Who's there?!" Stanly shouted as Brad lowered his hand to his waist where he was prepared to grab a Poke-ball if need be.

The cackle grew louder before another set of the small light sources lit up in the corner, surrounding an elderly man that all three of them recognized as the Commissioner of the Kanto and Johto Committees.

"Lexer." Brad said as the man laughed.

"Finally, the arrival of my minions." Lexer spoke softly, although in the silence of the room his voice was heard by everyone quite easily. "Go my Unown, capture them!"

The small letters that had been surrounding Lexer moved toward the trio, beginning to circle around them with increasing speed. Brad decided that now was the best time to send out his Flygon, but he discovered that his limbs were no longer moving under his command. In fact, he couldn't even feel them anymore.

"What's going on?" Brad asked out loud as he tried to move his arms but this was no use.

"It's the power of the Unown I have gathered from the Ruins of Alph. Not only is the psychic energy they possess enough to prevent you from moving, it's also enough to shut down the Crest each of you possess." Lexer explained.

"Why are you doing this?" Stanly asked.

"I gathered you together, but I knew there would be no way you would submit to me willingly once you became aware of the fact that the Storm was approaching." Lexer explained. "But the Unown will make you submit forcibly. You are my slaves now."

Brad grit his teeth, trying to overcome the suppressive power of the Unown, but he found no success.

"Don't be foolish. Their power is too much for the likes of you to break." Lexer commented, gaining a glare from Brad. But as the dark haired male looked toward Lexer, his vision became blurred as his focus was forcefully switched to the Unown.

The dark figures continued to swirl around them at high speed, leaving the group of three in a daze.

"Now!" Lexer roared. All of the Unown in the room released a great flash of light, blinding Stanly, Jackie and Brad. They could only stare into the light in awe before their knees buckled.

As the light cleared, Lexer smiled when he found the three of them resting on their bottoms with their Crests open to level two. Surrounding each of their Crests were numerous small stars which was clear evidence that the Unown had successfully taken over the group.

"Excellent!" Lexer said, watching as they rose to their feet, one by one. "As of today, the Pokemon Committee and Team Rocket will merge together under my leadership!"

**Saffron City**

"Everyone, this way!" Shari shouted, motioning for the group of civilians she had been leading to follow her into an alleyway that would hopefully lead them to one of the clear stretches of road that they could use to escape the city.

Bringing up the rear of the group was Rachel along with her Nidoqueen who were closely followed by a mob of Team Rocket grunts.

"Nidoqueen, Hyper Beam!" Rachel shouted.

The large dual type Pokemon turned around, opening up its mouth where it revealed that it had focused a large quantity of every in its mouth that had turned orange. Nidoqueen fired the beam at the ground in front of the group, creating a large dusty explosion that blinded the grunts. This in turn gave them some time to escape.

"This is crazy!" Rachel exclaimed as they came to a in a clearing in the forest that was beyond the northern border of Saffron City. The city had been overrun but Team Rocket grunts in under and hour. The sheer number of the grunts made it impossible to even attempt to stand up against them, and anyone who tried was captured and jailed. The only option was to run.

"How could Team Rocket have this many members?" Shari asked out loud.

"I don't know." Rachel muttered. "But right now we have to focus on getting these people to safety. We should start by contacting the Committee."

"I'm on it." Shari said as she took out her Poke-gear from the small backpack she had slung around her torso.

Shari then separated herself from the group to make the call, leaving Rachel to observe the group of about twenty people they had managed to lead out of the city. The people who had gotten away were generally of the younger variety of people living in Saffron City. And they didn't seem to be handling the situation to well.

But then again they had just been forced out of their homes with no time to gather their important belongings. They had to leave quickly in order to escape capture.

"Hello!" Someone shouted, gaining everyone attention. Rachel looked toward the edge of the clearing a young man broke through the bushes along with a Mightyena. "Ah, finally, more people."

"Were you forced out of the city as well?" Rachel asked, receiving a nod from him.

"Yeah. Fortunately I got mixed in a group of trainers that were in the central plaza so we managed to escape along with a group of civilians." He explained.

"Are they near by?"

"Yeah. I left them to check and see if anyone else had gotten away." He said, motioning to the direction he had come from before extending his hand toward her. "Roy Mekson."

"Rachel Haloway." She replied, accepting his handshake. "Where are you going to take the people you led out of the city?"

"The trainers I had worked with were just beginning to discuss that before I left." Roy replied.

"Well I happen to be a member of the Johto Committee, and we were heading toward Indigo Plateau. We should merge our groups and stick together." Rachel said, receiving a nod from Roy.

"Strength in numbers. I like that." Roy replied before a shout from Shari gained their attention.

"Rachel, we're going to have to change our destination." Shari stated in a with a hurried tone.

"Why, what happened?" Rachel asked.

"The Committee HQ has been taken over by Team Rocket."

**Johto Region**

**Olivine City**

"We still haven't gotten a response from the Committee yet Professor Elm." Professor Evergreen hollered as she entered the room where the male Professor had been working.

"Still?!" Elm exclaimed although he remained hunched over the object he was working on.

"Something urgent must've have taken place for them to ignore a call from us." Evergreen reasoned.

"We're going have to accept the consequences of this later, but for now we're going to begin the mass production of the vaccine for Pokeosis." Elm explained, motioning for Evergreen to come over to him. Once the young woman was close enough, she could see what Elm had been looming over while he was speaking to her.

It was a Poke-ball, although this one possessed a black and gray spiral pattern on the upper potion of the sphere. It's sole purpose to capture any and all Pokemon that didn't not possess the vaccine for Pokeosis and provide it so that upon release, the Pokemon would be immune to Pokeosis.

"It's finished." Elm stated with a weak smile as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "It goes against all the rights we've been given from the Committee, but if we don't get these designs out to all of the factories in Johto, there's no hope of stopping Pokeosis from spreading across the world.

**Hoenn Region**

**Lilycove City**

The panicked screams of urban civilians filled the streets as hundreds of thousands of people sprinted toward the west exit of Lilycove City in hope that they would escape the sudden doom that had been brought upon them.

_"ROOOOOOOOOAAR!"_

The enormous Pokemon that towered over the people of Lilycove threw its head back to give a mighty roar before it returned its gaze to the colossal Pokemon that was resting in the water near the beaches of Lilycove. The eyes of the duo were pitch black to match the Crests on their back that seemed to be fueling the two enraged Legendary Pokemon.

In the water, Kyogre slapped the surface of the water twice with its wings, creating two large waves that lifted it into the air as it charged up a Hyper Beam in its mouth. Groudon began to charge a Solarbeam in return to counter Kyogre's high powered attack, and the result was amazing.

The two attacks met a large distance from both of the Legendary Pokemon, but as they collided, a blinding white light was created. Unseen by everyone including the attackers, the meeting point of the two attacks had grown into a large orange and white sphere that eventually exploded.

A white shockwave was produced from the attack on a scale that was powerful enough to knock over buildings.

"Look out!"

Hundreds of heads looked up in horror as they saw the roof a building plummeting toward them. The people froze, unable to convince themselves to keep moving.

"Magmortar, use Hyper Beam!" A voice cried out.

"Mag!"

A wide orange beam was fired out from among the group at the falling section of the building. The radius of the attack continued to extend, resulting in the entire roof disappearing inside of it. It was vaporized in an instant.

There was sigh of relief from the crowd below as they all looked around for their savior, and soon enough they found him. A teenage boy standing beside his Magmortar who went by the name of Griffen.

"Come on, we have to get out of city!" He shouted, motioning for everyone to keep moving.

The race to the exit of the city had left many winded and gasping for air. Griffen was among a large group of trainers who had done what they could to protect the citizens of Lilycove City during the escape.

"What is going on!?" Griffen exclaimed as he followed the rear of a large civilian group with his Magmortar, providing cover if necessary. Unfortunately no clear answer was present to the boy. Nothing could explain the sudden appearance of these Legendary Pokemon and their unbridled rage for each other.

On a roof quite a distance from Groudon and Kyogre, two cloaked figures stared at the battle that was unfolding in horror.

"How could we let this happen?" The large of the two figures asked angrily.

"It must've happened after we were chased out of Hoenn." The smaller one replied. "The only thing that can override our Crests is the Red and Blue Orbs."

"That Titus is a crafty one." The larger one muttered. "Come on Gwen, let's move."

"Sure thing dad." She replied as she looked toward Groudon, giving it one last sullen look. Her connection to her Legendary partner had been severed, and she had no way of communicating with it to figure out what was causing its rage.

The two then proceeded to assist the trainers and civilians with the evacuation process which proved to be a very hectic duty.

**Sinnoh Region**

**Mt Corenet**

**Hall of Origin**

Resting on top of the head of Abyss Arceus, Sander watched as the beast slowly ascended the stairs of the Hall of Origin. From the highest point in Sinnoh the black Centaur would begin spreading Pokeosis across the Sinnoh Region.

Unfortunately, Sander was left in the dark as to the whereabouts of the King. This would set back his plan, but that would stop him. The King would have to come fight him sooner or later. It was his duty to stop the Storm.

Once Abyss Arceus came to platform at the top of the staircase, Sander looked out at the region below. He could see it all.

The water side Pastoria City to south.

The pure white Snowpoint City to the north.

The urbanized Jubilife City to the west.

The solar powered Sunyshore City to the east.

This would be his new Kingdom.

"Go forth Abyss Arceus, seize the lands that were once yours!" Sander commanded as it took is spot at the center of the hall of Origin, giving a mighty roar. A roar that was heard across the entire region.

Abyss Arceus gained a black aura as it began to stamp its feet, leaving a dark spot on the floor that began to expand at an alarming rate. In under a minute the platform had become completely black, spreading down to Spear Pillar where it continued to move out into Mt Corenet.

With the enormous mountain that stood at the center of the Sinnoh Region, all the Pokemon inhabiting the area collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain as they transformed. It would only be a few minutes before these Pokemon rose up from the ground, their skin darkened and their senses heightened, allowing them proceed toward the exits of Mt Corenet.

Sander raised an eyebrow the darkness stopped spreading at the base of Mt Corenet. Abyss Arceus gave a groan, trying to continue spreading the darkness forcefully but to no avail.

'I see, so as long as Pure Arceus is alive, this is the extent of your power.' Sander noted. He was indeed impressed with how far reaching its power was, but he knew that its real strength was beyond this.

He couldn't remove Pure Arceus right now. That would ruin his plan entirely. He couldn't afford to destroy it, not yet at least.

Despite Abyss Arceus' inability to spread its power beyond Mt Corenet, Sander had no worries. Every Pokemon inside the mountain would continue spreading Pokeosis for him. All he had to do was rest at the top of his domain until the King reappeared.

**11/27/0046/Morning**

**Sinnoh Region**

Pandemonium.

In a nutshell, that described the state of the Sinnoh Region.

Constant news reports informed citizens of a dangerous species of Pokemon that had appeared on the scene like a flash of light. Abyss Pokemon.

The people of Sinnoh were already living in fear of Pokemon after the slaughtering at Mt Corenet, and their terror was only reinforced with the sudden spread of Pokeosis. Cities such as Eterna City had been overrun by Abyss Pokemon, leaving only destruction and bodies in their wake.

"The Pokemon Committee has issued a full evacuation of the Sinnoh Region." These words had been uttered on national television just a few hours after the appearance of Abyss Pokemon in Eterna City and Celestic Town. But even with these orders, only about a third of the people actually managed to escape.

The rest had been completely wiped out. Anyone without Pokemon were forcefully separated from their family and thrown onto the ships while trainers did whatever they could to hold back the Abyss Pokemon.

But this led the bonds between trainer and Pokemon being severed in the harshest of ways.

No one would ever forget the day when all Pokemon seemed to turn against their trainers.

* * *

><p><strong>And that's Chapter 42. The actual Storm begins as three Commissioners begin to make their moves now that Abyss Arceus has been unsealed. So now the whole world is going up in smoke and Blake is no where to be found.<strong>

**This was a fun chapter for me? What about you guys. I pretty sure this chapter should've left you guys with a few question that will be answered as this continues. So please review and tell me what you think.**


	43. The Raging Storm

Part 43

**Ecruteak City**

**Kimono Girls Estate**

Grace burst into her residence from yearas ago, calling out for the Kimono Girls. She left Robbie, Matt and Mari at the entrance of the house, far more concerned with finding her guardians. The trio entered with caution, more less as a sign of respect with how well crafted the houses of Ecruteak City were.

Eventually the group stumbled onto Lana and Miyu in the garden in the back of the estate, quietly chatting.

"Lana!" Grace exclaimed as she rushed over to the brunette, confirming her suspicions. "What happened?"

"We don't know." She replied, motioning to herself and Miyu who waved to the group. "I can't remember anything that happened after Mt Corenet."

"Doesn't Lugia remember anything?" Grace asked. Lana shook her head.

"No. She woke up just a few moments before Abyss Arceus did. Everything happened so fast that she didn't have anytime to observe where we were before she took us to the Whirl Islands." Lana explained.

"But why don't you remember where you sealed yourself away to? You were the one who made the choice to begin with." Grace reasoned, gaining a sigh from Lana.

"I believe it was the amount of time she and Lugia spent encased in the crystals. It must've wiped their memory." Miyu said.

"There must be some way for you to get those memories back. Maybe we need some kind of trigger." Grace suggested.

"No, I've tried everything already. I even had Lugia go into my mind using Psychic, but she said that there was absolutely nothing about where I sealed us away." Lana replied, getting a shrug from Grace. She was out of ideas now.

"Alright, can someone tell me what's going on?" Robbie asked out loud, drawing attention to the three people that were struggling to understand what was taking place.

"I'm sorry guys. I was planning on explaining everything to you back in Cherrygrove City…" Grace began before Miyu motioned for her to stop.

"Grace, I'll explain it to them." Miyu said, receiving a nod from the dark haired girl. "So what do the three of you know about the Crests?"

Robbie and Matt looked at each other, remaining silent since they knew next to nothing.

"All I know is that there are two sides to the Crests. The Light and the Dark. The Light will be helping the King fight the Dark." Mari explained. "Each Crest connects us to a different Legendary Pokemon. That's all I know."

"That much is good to know. But the three of you still have a lot to learn. The Crest that connects you to each of those Legendary Pokemon mean that you're a Descendant of one of the members of the King's Court from the Days of the Originals." Miyu began, getting several confused looks from the trio.

"The Days of the Originals?" Matt repeated, receiving a nod from Miyu.

"I'm sure the three of you know the time periods the past couple of centuries have been divided into. You have the Dark Days when the Legendary Pokemon rampaged throughout the earth for centuries. Then you have the Old Days when society was under the direction of the old system known as the Pokemon League." Miyu went on. "Then you have the era before that, when Humans and Pokemon were first starting to understand each other. That was the Days of the Original."

"So what does all of this mean...I mean, why does this matter to any of us?" Robbie asked.

"It was during that time that Abyss Arceus was created. All of the Legendary Pokemon were threatened by its presence, thus beginning an era of battles between the powerful Pokemon. After a few decades of fighting, a few of the Legendary Pokemon began to side with Abyss Arceus because of the immense power it possessed." Miyu explained. "As the fighting continued, the Legendary Pokemon became weary, but with no end to the battling in sight, they seeked assistance of humans. Granting a specific human a portion of their power, a group of people gained the power to fight alongside Legendary Pokemon. This was the creation of the Crests."

Lana studied the expressions of each of the trainers. Confusion was clearly and understatement.

"I know you guys are probably confused at the moment, but just hear us out." Lana said before motioning for Miyu to continue.

"The fighting continued. In fact, it got worse. But the Crests proved to be of great assistance to the Legendary Pokemon. Abyss Arceuss was finally cornered and sealed away. Those who sided with Abyss Arceus disappeared, but it was clear that they made it their goal to free Abyss Arceus." Miyu went on. "They succeeded on Mt Corenet, and now the duty of defeating Abyss Arceus has fallen onto the next generation of Crests."

"All of this has to do with some kind of war between the Legendary Pokemon?" Matt exclaimed.

"Yes. Although our goal was to contain the situation before it could get out of hand. That's why Lana was prepared to seal away Abyss Arceus at Mt Corenet. It was our original plan since Blake had disappeared. But when he returned it was too late for us to consider trying to prepare him for the Storm. We decided to make a gamble on sealing Abyss Arceus away to stop the Storm. Unfortunately that didn't work out in the end."

"…So in a nutshell, we're expected to join this war and destroy Arceus?" Mari said, summarizing Miyu's explanation.

"Abyss Arceus." Miyu corrected her before giving her a nod. "And you're not expected to. You have to."

"Have to? But what if I don't want to?" Robbie asked in return.

"I know all this may sound unreal to all of you, but does the annihilation of humans at the hands of tainted Pokemon sound good to you?" Miyu asked sharply. Robbie was taken aback for a moment, then he looked down.

"No…" He muttered. He had seen Abyss Arceus on Mt Corenet. He had seen the hysteria in Sinnoh. None of this was fake.

"I know it's a lot of responsibility to be forced to accept. But I'm here to help." Miyu assured them.

"Not just Miyu, us too." Lana added along with a nod of agreement from Grace.

Matt, Robbie and Mari looked around the girls, unsure of how to reply to this.

"Don't feel overwhelmed, we'll help you." Miyu continued.

The feeling of unease still didn't leave the trio, but all they could do was swallow their discomfort and give the girls a nod.

**Kanto Region**

**Indigo Plateau**

Lexer sat behind the wooden desk in the studio, quietly observing multiple Team Rocket grunts preparing the camera's for a live broadcast to both Kanto and Johto. His takeover of Kanto was nearly complete. Soon enough they would be advancing into Johto and taking the lands there as well. He would unite the two regions.

"Sir, we are ready to begin broadcasting." One of the grunts called out to him, receiving a nod from Lexer. All of the lights in the studio were then turned on him as the grunts that had been working behind the scenes became silent, positioning their cameras properly.

One of them raised their hand, confirming that they had jammed the signal over national television and all radio stations. Another grunt then gave Lexer a count down before motioning for him to speak.

"Good evening people of Kanto and Johto. I'm sure many of you know me as the Commissioner of both of the regions. I know word has leaked out about a recent attack on the Committee HQ by Team Rocket, so I decided to personally assure you all that everything is fine." Lexer began.

All over Johto, his face appeared on any television that was on. His voice was heard through any radio. There were few people who couldn't hear or see him.

In Kanto, several blimps were moving about region with two large monitors mounted on the sides. Lexer could be seen on these, sending his message to any of the people or trainers that had escaped capture just a few days before.

"While the attack from Team Rocket is true, the Committee and Team Rocket have now come to an agreement. The two of us have decided to merge together. And I have been placed at the top as the leader!" Lexer declared. "Now I plan to unite Johto and Kanto by whatever means necessary. All who oppose will face arrest and detainment. Willingly submit, and you will become a part of the organization that will unite the world!"

* * *

><p>This announcement was the spark that set many wheels in motion. The first being Team Rocket's presence in Cherrygrove and Blackthorn City. Battles broke out in these two cities as the citizens of the town refused to submit to Team Rocket control, but the greater number of the men and women in black resulted in an eventual takeover of these cities.<p>

From there Team Rocket established themselves in these two towns as a base in the Johto Region before spreading out what forces they had to take the region by force. This caused an uproar in the remaining cities of Johto as they called for Lexer, but the Commissioner had disappeared after this, leaving the people to continue crying out in vain.

As the Team Rocket advance continued, trainers and citizens continued to prepare themselves in city to city, planning to engage and hold off Team Rocket, unaware of how many people were actually part of Team Rocket.

One of the first major battles was in Violet City, and during the first few minutes of the attack, many would've described the approaching Team Rocket as a black tidal wave. There numbers were just beyond what anyone was expecting, but there were still trainers that stubbornly fought to protect themselves and the people around them. The toll was high for this battle. Any trainers that hadn't been maimed during the battle had been captured and thrown into the camp that had been built in what had once been New Bark Town.

Those who managed to escape went off to warn the next towns about what they would truly be facing.

Soon enough, Team Rocket had circled around the southern parts of Johto and claimed all of the cities including Azalea Town and Goldenrod City, leading to a large gathering of trainers in Ecruteak City and Olivine City. Everything else had been lost to Team Rocket, and many were considering giving in to the superior power. But it was during their final defense did a hope appear for the struggling Johto trainers.

Those who had gathered at Ecruteak City were given direction by the Kimono Girls to go down into Route 36 for a strategical advantage. In order to get to Ecruteak City, they would have travel through a tight area. If they were engaged in battle at this location, the confusion and disarray would hopefully give the trainers a fighting chance.

Unfortunately, this proved to be futile. Team Rocket was far more organized than they had given the trainers had given them credit for. So organized that the problems of battling in a small area were completely negated. The trainers were thoroughly dominated as they were forced back to Ecruteak City. It appeared as though nothing would be able to stop Team Rocket, until a massive fire ball was dropped down onto the field.

A portion of the Team Rocket forces were taken down in an instant, forcing everyone's eyes to look up toward the bright skies above. Descending toward the field was a large silhouette that matched the shape of a phoenix. As it moved out from in front of the sun, many could see that it was large fire bird that held great beauty as it came down to the field.

Standing firmly on its head was none other than Grace who was looking around at the battlefield. Unconscious Pokemon littered the field, and there were a large number of trainers that had been caught by attacks from other Pokemon, resulting in severe damage to their bodies. It was a sight she could barely stomach. But this was war.

The Pokemon that had been lost by Team Rocket were quickly returned to their Poke-balls while fresh Pokemon were thrown out to engage Ho-oh. The trainers had been looking up at Ho-oh in awe, but with the appearance of a second wave of Pokemon, they began to wonder what the limitations of this Pokemon were. But then a loud screech shook the field before a large beam of pulsating winds dropped onto Team Rocket's Pokemon. A shockwave was sent out from the spot of impact of the attack that traveled out in all directions, knocking many to their bottoms as a large dust cloud formed.

Everyone's attention was now drawn to the ferocious looking, silver creature that was descending from the skies above as well, watching as it flapped its large wings to blow away the cloud that had formed in the center of the field. Many were shocked to see what was left.

An enormous crater marked what had once been Team Rocket's massive force, and this was more than enough for Team Rocket to realize what they were really facing off with.

"Retreat!" The order was shouted by any of the higher ranked members of Team Rocket. They had no chance of beating Lugia and Ho-oh together. Not right now at least.

The trainers erupted with cheers as they watched Team Rocket take off in a rush to get moving. The battle wasn't very long, but it was significant win for them. Perhaps there was a chance of them beating Team Rocket.

**1/29/0047/Morning**

**Ecruteak City**

Whispers floated around the large gathering in the large garden of the estate the Kimono Girls addressed as a house. Hundreds of trainers were packed shoulder to shoulder in the space, waiting for the meeting to commence.

"You're attention please!" Nozomi called out as she stepped up onto the small wooden stage that had been put together just minutes before hand.

The side conversation came to an end as all eyes fell upon the Kimono Girls who were now standing on top of a small stage together.

"By now I'm sure all of you are aware of that it has been two months since Team Rocket and the Committee declared that they have merged together. And we have done nothing but battle against their combined forces to the point of exhaustion." Nozomi continued on. "But during this time, many trainers have joined our cause to fight against them."

The past two months were filled with trainers and civilians arriving in large groups. They had heard about the trainers in Johto that refused to submit to the Committee and traveled all the way from Kanto to join the fight.

"And now, we can fighting against them. The attacks from Team Rocket are dwindling as our numbers continue to increase. We may appear insignificant to them, but we have fought hard, and now we are finally about to show them the power of the Resistance!"

Nozomi concluded her speech by informing everyone of the first major movements. The forces that had gathered in Ecruteak City would be divided into three separate forces. One would head west toward Olivine City to join the battle there. The second force would head south to reclaim the southern part of the Johto Region. The last force would remain in Ecruteak City, awaiting the return of the troops that went south.

Leading each of these battalions was one of the three active Crests the Resistance had at its disposal. Mari, Grace and Lana. These girls, while being incredibly young, had no trouble rallying troops because of their heroics while defending Ecruteak City.

"Where does that leave us?" Robbie asked in a flat tone. He had lost the pep in his step after the first few attacks on Ecruteak City. He was no where near as boisterous as he was before this civil war began. The battles had forced him to abandon his belief that Pokemon were the key to peace.

Robbie and Matt sat together in the middle of a semi circle created by the Kimono Girls that were surrounding them.

"The two of you have yet to unite your Crest with Raikou and Suicune. Until you complete this task, you won't be able to battle alongside the girls." Nozomi stated.

"But how are we going to find them?" Matt asked in a deadpan. Similar to Robbie, Matt had become much quieter. These enormous battles were anything but gory, Matt still struggled to adjust to the thought of so many Pokemon harming each other so brutally. Even attacking humans if ordered to do so by Team Rocket. It was so wrong.

"Their movements have been limited to the Johto Region. The Kanto Region is off limits since Team Rocket is so active in those Regions, so we can be sure that they'll be here. It's up to you two to find them." Yumi explained.

"Isn't there any kind of hint for us to pinpoint their location?" Robbie asked.

"Unfortunately, no. They're always on the move so all you can really do is stay on the move until you meet up with them." Miyu pointed out.

"So we've placed the two of you in the second unit which is heading south. They will be traveling all over the southern parts of the Johto Region, so hopefully you run into Suicune and Raikou as you battle with them." Rei went on.

"And if we do find them, what does that mean for us?" Matt asked.

"The two of you will become commanders. With the power of a Legendary Pokemon, you'll be leading Resistance forces against Team Rocket and the Committee." Nozomi replied.

Matt's expression darkened. He wasn't interested in any of this. He didn't want to do any of this. He wanted to return to his home in Hoenn. He wanted to wake up from this nightmare.

"Fine." Matt muttered as he rose up from the floor as the trainers outside the estate gave shouts that the first and second battalions would be meeting at their rendezvous point. "Let's get going Robbie."

Robbie spared the Kimono Girls a glance before following Matt out the room, leaving the five girls.

"This is exactly what we were trying to avoid." Nozomi mumbled after a moment of silence passed. "The Storm has already killed their spirit and things have only just begun."

"I know. Hopefully we can turn the tide quickly in Kanto." Yumi said.

"Yeah, hopefully."

**2/21/0047/Dusk**

**Goldenrod City**

"We've assumed control of the Pokemon Center, hopefully this will put an end to the Team Rocket control here." Matt said into the small communicator on his wrist.

"That's good to hear Matt. We've cleared out the west side of the city, so the battles here should end by tomorrow." Grace replied before she returned to the heat of the battle, ending their conversation.

Matt gave a heavy sigh as he lowered his arm, taking a quick look around at the trainers he had led on this mission to take over the Pokemon Center that Team Rocket had been using as a stronghold to continue their fight regardless of the superior numbers of the Resistance forces.

None of them were in good shape. Many of them had received wounds that went from shallow to gruesome as they fought through the Team Rocket forces.

"Yow!"

Matt looked back at one of the long sofas near the entrance of the Pokemon Center. Resting on the sofa was a young man without a shirt and a left arm.

As they were approaching the Pokemon Center, he had been caught in one of Team Rocket's usual bomb traps where an Electrode or Voltorb would use Self-destruct. This young man had been caught in the blast and he was suffering greatly from it.

Matt felt sick to his stomach as he watched two other adults bandage up his shoulder to stop the bleeding. He could still battle, but if it was up to Matt, he would've sent him back to Ecruteak City.

Matt couldn't stand watching so many people get injured like this in battle. Why was all of this happening?

* * *

><p>"Professor Elm?!" Robbie exclaimed as he rushed over the man that had been bound and gagged, resting on the floor of the storage room beside a woman. Helping the man so that he was sitting up, Robbie removed the cloth that covered his mouth, allowing Elm to speak. "Are you alright?"<p>

"Yes, I'm fine."

"What are you doing here?"

"Evergreen and I were distributing the vaccine for Pokeosis from this Pokemon Center to Kanto and Johto. They were going to send us to the camp they finished constructing in New Bark Town, but that's when you guys attacked the city." Elm explained.

"The cure to what?"

"Pokeosis. I'm sure you heard about the incident at Mt Coronet. Where a lot of the spectators were attacked by oddly colored Pokemon."

"Yeah. I was there."

"Well it turns out that those Pokemon had been infected with an ancient disease that forces them to revert back to their previous instinctual mindset." Elm continued. "I received word about two months ago that the disease was spreading across the Sinnoh Region and moving into parts Hoenn. So Evergreen and I set out to mass produce the vaccine to Pokeosis to stop the spread into Kanto and Johto. We succeeded in getting the vaccine around Kanto and Johto, but we couldn't get it out of Hoen and Sinnoh fast enough."

"Wait, so the Pokemon in Sinnoh and Hoenn are…"

Elm gave him a grim nod.

"They're truly wild Pokemon now."

**Hoenn Region**

**Slateport City**

Leaning against the wall of the hospital lobby, Griffen felt his knees give away, leaving him to the drop down to his bottom. He cupped his hands over his ears, hoping that this would block out of the screams of the trainers that were being dragged into the building. This helped slightly, but not enough to block out what they were shouting about.

"Nuzleaf! How could you!?" A male trainer snapped as he was brought into the building on a gurney. He had a long gaping wound traveling down his torso, and he was in tears as the workers steering the gurney did their best to restrain him during his violent outbursts.

Griffen grinded his teeth together, trying to distract himself from the sole question that had been on his mind for the past two months.

Where was this world headed?

The northern parts of the Hoenn Region all the way to the east coast had come face to face with two rampaging Legendary Pokemon that continued to fight regardless of where they were located. On top of that, the normal Pokemon the Hoenn Region had gone off the deep end as well.

There were only a handful of safe areas to run to at this point. Slateport City along with Sootopolis City and Dewford Town was recognized as areas that people could live in safely for the time being.

Outside of those areas, people and Pokemon were being massacred by the enraged Legendary Pokemon, or the deranged Abyss Pokemon that were taking over the region.

The Storm was raging now.

* * *

><p><strong>Storm continues. Now Pokeosis has spread to Hoenn as the people of the region make one last final stand, although all hope seems lost as conditions continue to deteriorate. How can all of this pain and suffering be undone? Can anyone stop it before its too late?<strong>

**Share your thoughts please. Is the story getting out of control to you? Does it seem intense or dark at this point? Please Review.**


	44. Return of the King

Part 44

**3/19/0048/Afternoon**

**Johto Region**

**Route 38**

A yellow blur whizzed in between the thick foliage of Route 38, breaking through the shrubs and bushes with ease using its speed. Breaking into a clearing, the blur leaped, spreading its limbs a bit before it came in for a landing, discovering that its path had been blocked.

"You're not getting away this time Raikou!" A young man declared from above on the back of a Pidgeot that slowly descended into the clearing. Raikou on the other hand, was fully focused on the five other Pokemon that were blocking off its escape route from this clearing. "Alakazam, hold it down with Psychic!"

Alakazam, a member of the five Pokemon that had surrounded Raikou lifted its spoons, causing a blue outline to form around the Legendary Pokemon. This held the extremely rare Pokemon in place, gaining a roar of disapproval. Raikou tensed its muscles, trying to break free of the psychic energy, but to no avail.

Despite its status as a Legendary Pokemon, the damage done to the creature beforehand was far to extensive for it to break free of Alakazam's hold.

"Calm down Raikou." The young man continued as his Pidgeot landed on the ground, allowing him to jump off its back to run over to Raikou. Staring directly into the eyes of the beast, this silenced it for only a moment before it began to thrash about again.

"Don't you remember me?" He asked. "We met back on top of Mt Mortar. You zapped me and my Croconaw pretty good, although Croconaw is a Feraligatr now."

This didn't help at all as Raikou continued its struggle.

"Quit talking to it...Just put your hand on its head!" A new voice shouted. Another young man came rushing out of the bushes, gasping for air with a Ludicolo behind him.

"I was just getting to that."

Raising his left hand, he placed it on Raikou's head which caused his wrist to light up in a bright yellow light. This successfully silenced Raikou as it looked at him with bright eyes.

"So do you remember me now?" He asked again as Raikou gained a glow that healed all of the wounds it had sustained during the battle. The light soon faded away, revealing that Raikou was now in perfect condition.

**"You're that guy."**

"If by that guy you mean the other person with your Crest, then that would be me." He said, giving Raikou a grin as he motioned for Alakazam to release it.

**"I see. So you're the Human I've been waiting for." **It mumbled, studying him for a moment as it slowly trotted around him. **"You seem alright."**

"Alright?" He repeated. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Forget it for now Robbie, we have to high tail it back to Ecruteak City, the defense there won't hold out Team Rocket much longer unless we help out." His friend called out to him, motioning for Robbie to end his conversation.

"Sorry Raikou, we don't have a lot of time to talk right now, but I want to ask a quick favor from you." Robbie said, receiving a slow nod from the Pokemon.

**Embedded Tower**

Deep within the confines of the basement of the stone tower, a bright light began to shine from the center of the floor, bouncing off the reflective surface of the crystals that rested all over the ground. The crystals scattered about on the floor rested had collapsed over a year prior to this date, and it was the first time any form of light had shined upon them, lighting up the basement.

The intensity of the light continued to increase until the entire basement disappeared within the spectacular display. For several minutes the basement remained this way, then the light faded, revealing a silhouette that seemed to be the source of the light hovering over the crystals that it had previously been buried beneath. Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that the true source of the light was the right wrist of the figure where a pentagon separated in five triangles could be seen. The figure raised its hand into the air, as if to call back what remained the light, allowing the large room to return to the darkness it had previously been in.

The figure dropped the ground, bouncing off a few of the crystals before he finally met with the cold hard floor with a groan.

"Oww." Blake groaned as held his head as he rose up. "It feels like I got hit by a Tauros."

Massaging his temples for a few moments, Blake's hazy vision finally cleared up, allowing him to take a look around at his surroundings.

"Where am I?" He asked himself as he got back on his feet. He couldn't remember much, but as he looked at the surrounding crystals, he knew there was something about them that was important. Approaching one of the crystals, Blake studied his reflection using the light from his wrist. "Whoa!"

Looking down at his wrist, Blake couldn't help but stare at it in awe.

"My Crest has finally been completed. Yumi-nee-chan will be so proud." He exclaimed as he looked down at the Crest. Then it hit him.

He had tried to free Lana. But the cost of breaking a seal had knocked him out.

"Lana!" He called out, looking around for the girl he had seen last time he was awake. His voice echoed, and he couldn't see anything beyond the perimeter of light his Crest had given him. No one else was here. "Aww, I guess I missed her."

Looking up, Blake spotted a hole in the ceiling of the room. It much brighter up there than it was down here.

'Maybe someone is up there.' He said as he squatted. Taking one tremendous leap, Blake covered the large distance between himself and the ceiling, reaching the next floor of the tower.

Even though this floor was brighter, there was still no one to found. But there was a corridor he could use to go outside. He could feel the breeze coming outside. Closing his Crest, the symbol on his wrist faded away as he exited the tower, giving him an excellent view of the cliffs that surrounded the Embedded Tower.

"Wow, this is amazing." He said, praising the scenery. He had never seen anything like this back in Ecruteak City. Placing his hands on his waist, Blake drew in a deep breath. The ocean had a really pleasant scent.

Lowering one hand, Blake's hand brushed against the Poke-balls on his belt, gaining his attention.

"Poke-balls?" He said as he detached one of them. "I wonder if there's anything in them."

Tossing the sphere into the air, it cracked open, releasing a shapeless white form that jumped to the ground before taking shape. A winged dragon appeared before Blake, stretching its wings a bit before looking around.

"Wow, a Salamence!" He exclaimed, rushing over to the Pokemon to get a closer look at it. Stopping right in front of its head, Blake placed a hand on its neck which gained a soft grumble from the dragon before it brushed its head against Blake's cheek. "Ryuu?"

"Rahh…?" It replied, staring at Blake. His hair was so much longer now, falling all over his shoulders. How long had it been since it was last outside its Poke-ball.

Blake only smiled at Salamence, impressed with the Pokemon.

"When did you evolve?" He asked it, gaining a confused expression from it as it tilted its head to the side. "Let's head back to Ecruteak City. I bet Lana went there. You can tell me on the way."

Blake jumped onto the back of the dragon, motioning for it to take flight. Salamence looked back at Blake, questioning his peculiar behavior. The biggest smile Salamence had ever seen from Blake was a small smirk he would wear during major milestones in his Battle Circuit career. It was kind of strange seeing him smile like he did back when he was younger.

Spreading its winds, Salamence flapped its wings before leaping into the air, riding on the winds over the watery deep.

**3/22/0048/Morning**

**Route 38**

"I remember this hill!" Blake said to himself as he took off in one final dash. Salamence had taken him deep into Route 38 before it ran out of gas to fly. Blake thanked it for all of its help, telling it that he could make it to Ecruteak City on his own now that he was in a familiar area.

This hill would be the final obstacle, a hill that he climbed numerous times back in the day. It gave him a perfect view of Ecruteak City, second only to the top of Bell Tower.

He would spend hours up here with Lana and Grace. Maybe they were waiting for him. The incline leveled off as Blake reached the top, throwing his hands into the air as if to give the city a hug.

"Hello Ecruteak City-" He began, only for his arms to drop to his sides. His eyes widened in shock as he stared at the city resting at the base of the hill. "H-How…?"

A tear snuck out of the corner of his eye, leaving a trail as it traveled down his cheek. Where…where did Ecruteak City go?

He could see a few old Shinto houses that filled the area, but the grand city was gone. There was nothing but a smoldering pile of ash. Where was his home? And his friends and family. Did they disappear with the city?

"Why does everyone keep leaving me?" Blake croaked as he looked down at his feet, allowing the tears to flow freely.

* * *

><p>Blake propped himself up on one arm, looking around for the source of the wailing. It had been a while since he had last heard anything. Scanning the white room that he had been resting for quite sometime, he noticed that the other occupant had reappeared from their last meeting.<p>

Only this time he was in tears.

Rising up from the ground, Blake looked at what he now assumed was the younger version of himself seated on the ground, balling.

"Hey!" Blake barked at the child, although he didn't plan on sounding that harsh. This startled the boy as he looked at Blake. "Why are you making so much noise?"

"All…all of friends are gone! They disappeared, and I can't find them anywhere!" He wailed.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked.

"The last time I saw any of them was in Ecruteak City, but it's gone!"

"Gone?"

"The whole city is gone. And I think Lana, Grace and Yumi had disappeared with it!" He went on.

Blake took a moment to think. How could Ecruteak City just disappear? He had passed through the city just a few months ago. Unless the Storm had something to do with this. Alan and Lola must have something to do with this. But for right now, he had to get his younger self to quiet down so he could think.

Taking a few steps toward the child, Blake walked face first into an unseen wall that gained a groan from the boy. Blake spent sometime trying to find a way to bypass the wall, but there was no way through or around it. He would have to calm the boy down with words alone.

"What makes you think your friends disappeared?" Blake asked.

"Because I can't find them!"

"So what!" Blake shot back, once again a little too harshly. But he succeeded in silencing the boy. "Lana, Grace and Yumi are all strong. Strong enough to survive on their own, and right now, they're clearly stronger than you."

Blake stared at the young boy who remained silent.

"And if you expect to find them, then you'll have to toughen up." Blake stated. His younger self continued to look at him with big eyes for a few moments before hastily wiping away his tears. He then rose to his feet, approaching the wall that had separated the two of them.

"Okay, I'll get tough. But you have to promise to get tougher too." He said, causing Blake to sputter.

"Me?"

"You run away, a lot." He replied.

Blake took a step back as his expression hardened.

"What are you talking about?" Blake asked harshly, but then he took a moment to think about it. It was true. He turned away from Lana when she needed him most. He shut himself down after his discovery in New Bark Town. He was trying to avoid the whole Crest business up until a little while ago.

"But if we work together, we can make each other stronger." The young boy continued as he placed on hand on the wall. "Promise?"

Blake raised an eyebrow before shrugging. The kid was smarter than he looked.

"Deal." Blake said as he stepped toward the wall, placing his right hand on the wall.

Their wrists lit up, causing the wall to shatter as if it were glass. The two of them were showered with dust as the white room became black. Then the two of them were suddenly thrown at each other.

* * *

><p>Blake held his head, trying to calm the splitting headache he was currently experiencing. It was the worst headache he had ever felt. Like he had been pulverized by a Machamp.<p>

But he knew what the cause was. He was remembering everything. His real childhood. The years he spent with the Kimono Girls as well as Lana and Grace. The lessons he learned. The joys he had.

Then came the night when one of the trees at the estate was struck by lightning, creating a fire that engulfed the whole building.

In the rush to escape the building, Blake and Grace were separated from the Kimono Girls, resulting in them exiting through a different part of the estate where they were scooped up by a Fearow. As the Fearow disappeared into the night with the two children, it transformed… into a Latios.

'Alan!' Blake exclaimed. 'He kidnapped us!'

Blake and Grace were dropped in Goldenrod City, where both of them were eventually be picked up by the two of them. Lola would take Blake to New Bark Town to live in the illusion created by Latias while Grace was given to the Pokemon Committee.

'All of this…was because of Alan and Lola!' Blake said to himself as he put all of the missing pieces together. The throbbing of his head finally came to a stop, allowing Blake to look up at his surroundings. He was indeed outside of Ecruteak City. Pagoda trees didn't grow in any other part of the region, but all that was left of the city a pile of ash. "It really is gone."

Looking over the entire area, Blake could seen the nearly the entire city was gone. Next to nothing had been left.

"What happened here?" Blake asked himself. A burst of flames flew up into the air from the forest on the east side of the remains of the city, gaining his attention. "A battle?"

Grabbing Salamence's Poke-ball, Blake released the Pokemon from the confines of his Poke-ball, ordering it to take him into the skies. The duo soared across the city, heading straight toward the source of the flames where they found an enormous battle taking place in the thick forest.

Blake soon spotted a uniform he never thought he would see again. The bright red capital 'R' stood out from the black, making the statement that this was Team Rocket.

"What's going on?" Blake asked himself as he looked at the trainers that opposed them. They all wore a dark brown camouflage uniform. Who were they? But that didn't matter at the moment. Team Rocket was clearly the enemy, and he was more than willing to battle against them.

* * *

><p>Blake drew in a deep breath as the trainers dressed in brown cheered loudly. Team Rocket was on the run, heading toward Mt Mortar. They had won. What surprised him though was how powerful all of the Pokemon were. It was like he was fighting alongside an army of trainers with IBF level skills and Pokemon.<p>

The sheer number of Pokemon Team Rocket had been battling with forced Blake to bring out all of his Pokemon to fight alongside the trainers in brown, giving them the freedom to fight as they saw fit. It would be too difficult to keep track of all of six of them in the free for all that was taking place.

Now that the battle was over, Blake and his Pokemon met up to greet each other. Staring at the group of six, Blake could only sigh with relief. They were six man team he had caught and developed from the start of his journey. At least he could confirm that his journey through the Battle Circuit had taken place.

"What's wrong?" Blake asked as he looked at the group. They were all giving him an odd stare, as though he had grown a second head, but before any of them could reply, a shout gained their attention.

"Commander, that's him! He's the one who helped us out." One of the trainers in brown called out, pointing to Blake.

Blake glanced at the person that was pointing at him, but his focus was drawn to the person that they were leading toward him. It was a dark haired male that was tall and well built, and he was giving Blake a questioning stare. Then he looked at Blake's team, studying each of the Pokemon.

"I've seen this team before. But you couldn't be…" He said as he approached Blake. "Is that you Blake?"

"Yeah, but who are you?"He asked in return, receiving a wide smile from the guy.

"Don't you recognize me?" He asked. Blake shook his head. "It's me, Matt. I thought I'd never see you again."

"Matt?"

* * *

><p><strong>So a hear has past, and Blake finally reappears with the completion of his Crest, but is completely unaware of what kind of world awaits him. This chapter wasn't too long, but this ends the whole transition phase I was going through from the focus on the Battle Circuit to the Storm.<strong>

**I know it wasn't the easiest passage it anyone understood it, but after the arrival scene at Ecruteak City, he basically had a conversation with his younger self who he had locked away after being kidnapped in a blind refusal to believe that he had a family that _may_ have abandoned him. The two of them merged, becoming one Blake.**

**Thanks for reading, and please give me some feedback.**


	45. A New World

Part 45

**Vermillion City**

**Harbor**

Dustin threw down the ramp from the boat to the pier, cringing at the loud thud it made on contact with the wood.

"Come on guys, we don't have much time." Dustin said, motioning for his two teammates to follow him off the small boat they had taken to escape the Sevii Islands.

"Get moving Dustin. You're blocking the entire ramp." Randy whispered harshly, motioning for the large male to move.

"Sorry." He whispered back as he ran up the ramp, followed by Randy who looked back at the boat once he was on the pier, spotting Shari who was looking out at the sea.

"Shari, come on!" Randy said, snapping at her.

"Hang on, there's something out there." Shari said, pointing out to the horizon. Far out at the edge of the sea, they could see a brown blur approaching slowly. "What is it?"

Randy quickly pulled his backpack off, digging into his bag for a pair of binoculars. Finding the item, Randy looked through the scopes at the blur before drawing a sharp breath. It was a cloud of Pidgeot's heading straight for Vermillion City. And each of them held an Electrode or Voltrob in their talons.

"We have to go now!" Randy shouted as he threw his binoculars back into his bag. "Come on!"

"Randy, what's going on?!" Shari called out as she and Dustin followed Randy who had taken off in dash.

"It's swarm of Pigeot's and they're going to bomb the city!"

**Ecruteak City**

"Blake…what happened to you?" Matt went on, approaching Blake who only tilted his head.

"I should be asking you the same thing." Blake replied as he looked at Matt up and down. There was no way this was Matt. He was so much taller and well built. His messy brown hair was longer, and he had lost his baby face. He was battle hardened.

"What do you mean?" Matt asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"How you get so tall in a couple of days?"

For the first time in a long time, Matt cracked a smile.

"A couple of days?" Matt said after chuckling for a few moments. "Blake, you've been gone for more than a year."

It took a few moments for that statement to register within Blake's head.

"Wh…What?" Blake sputtered as he studied Matt's features once again. "How?"

"I don't know much. You disappeared after rushing off to New Bark Town." Matt explained.

"An entire year." Blake whispered to himself. It was then he finally acknowledged the hair that continued to brush against the back of his neck. It had never been that long before, reaching his shoulders for the first time in his life. "How could I be gone for a whole year, it feels like I was sleeping for one night."

"You've been gone for a really long time Blake. Everything has changed while you were gone."

"What do you mean?"

"We're at war with the Committee."

"War…What for?"

"It'll take some time to go into that right now, and we don't have that kind of time." Matt explained. "But we can talk later on, right now, just stick with me!"

Blake soon found himself being led to yet another battlefield at the base of Mt Mortar where the trainers in brown had closed up around Team Rocket from the east and west. As Matt led him into the battlefield, he explained to Blake that this was the final battle that would take place in Johto between the Resistance and Team Rocket. It was the product of an entire year of battling throughout Johto that eventually forced Team Rocket up to Mt Mortar where the remainder of their forces would face defeat.

Standing on the back of his Salamence, Blake drew a shaky breath as he stared at the battles taking place on the field below him. He had never seen a battle of this scale before, and it was a sight to behold. But it was also left him with a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Battling for sport in the Battle Circuit never looked this gruesome. The Pokemon where haphazardly launching attacks, hitting both friend and foe. It wasn't right.

* * *

><p>The skies had darkened quite some time ago as the Resistance trainers sat around several small campfires, celebrating their victory. They cheered loudly, reflecting on all their hard work to eventually reach the point where Johto was a safe place for all people.<p>

It had been a long fourteen months worth of fighting, but they had done. They had knocked both the Committee, and Team Rocket out of Johto.

Blake was seated alone on a small log, staring into the bright flames of one of the fires. He had seen and heard a lot today. At first he couldn't believe it, but now that the fighting had come to a stop, he could see that they were indeed at war with the Committee who had been allied with Team Rocket. Everything was so out of control.

Blake perked up when a hand was placed on his shoulder, earning a quick glance from him. Matt had stepped up behind him with a bag of trail mix.

"Want some?" Matt asked, offering him the bag. Blake accepted, picking up a fistful which he crammed into his mouth. He realized just how hungry he was. If it had really been gone for a year, then he hadn't eaten in a year too.

"Don't you want any?" Blake asked as Matt sat down next to him.

"Nah." He shook his head. "That's what we've been eating for a while. The only plus to it is you can mix in any berries you find that won't kill you."

Blake snorted before returning to his meal, cleaning out the bag in a few minutes. He then sat in silence with Matt for a few moments, examining his old friend. He really did look older, although the war must've helped him grow up faster.

"What?" Matt asked after take note of Blake's stare.

"Nothing. Just in shock still." Blake replied.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much right now Blake."

"But I have so many questions."

"And we can answer your questions." Matt stated. "We finally finished forcing Team Rocket out of Johto so we can go to Yumi, or Grace. I bet they could tell you anything you want to know."

Blake's expression seemed to darken at the mention of those names.

"What's wrong?"

"How are they?" Blake asked.

"Well, they're older." Matt replied weakly with a grin, getting a half hearted glare from Blake.

"As if I couldn't figure that out on my own." Blake muttered.

"Hey, don't blame me. A lot has changed since you disappeared. It's not easy to come up with the right way to tell you what's changed." Matt shot back.

"Well, can you at least tell me what's been going on right now? Like, what happened with the Committee?"

Matt drew in a deep breath before running a hand through his messy hair that he had stopped taking care of months ago.

"Boy, that was something no one saw coming. The Commissioner was actually a Dark Crest the entire time, and he was also in cahoots with Team Rocket. Then came the day he told everyone that he was going to take over. From that point on, Team Rocket went on a campaign to take over Kanto and Johto, and they were nearly successful, but we managed to stop them." Matt explained, causing Blake to wrinkle his forehead.

Matt spoke as though he was an old war veteran, although for all Blake knew, Matt could've been one with how rugged and beaten he appeared to be.

"From that point on it has been an uphill battle against Team Rocket, but we've finally taken back Johto." Matt went on, looking up at the sky hopefully. "And now we're going to Kanto to end this war."

"And what happens after that?" Blake asked suddenly, raising an eyebrow when Matt seemed surprised by the question.

"You know, we ask each other that all the time. But none of us know how to answer that question?" Matt replied with a weak smile.

"What do you mean?"

"Well this mess isn't just a war between us and the Commissioner, there's all kinds of crap going down all over the world right now. This is the Storm." Matt said plainly. "Even if we end the war here, the chaos will continue in the other regions."

_The King will stop the Dark Crests from being the world to ruins._

"Are you telling me there's no way to stop all of it?" Blake inquired.

"I'm not saying there's no way to stop it. But we've heard that the situation in Hoenn and Sinnoh are far worse than anything we've experienced here. I don't know if I have the heart to go over there." Matt said gravely as he looked down.

_The King will bring the Storm to an end._

Blake couldn't even look at Matt while he was like this. His friend was once ambitious to a fault, but all these recent events had broken him down his zeal and trashed the world he had grown to love. Blake couldn't remain seated anymore. He had let the world slip away once because of his ignorance. Now as the time to act.

"Where are the girls, like Grace and Yumi?" Blake asked as he rose from his seat.

"Indigo Plateau."

"Let's go there." Blake declared.

**3/23/0048**

**Indigo Plateau**

**Pokemon Committee HQ**

The building that had once been the figurehead for the Kanto and Johto Region had been reduced to nothing more than a flat terrain that had been taken over by the Resistance. Every appeal the once famous landmark once possessed had been wiped off the face of the earth during the battles between the two factions. Indigo Plateau had been the sight of numerous battles, but the Resistance had firmly taken control of the area, declaring to Team Rocket and the Commissioner that they will oppose them.

Victory Road had become the Resistance stronghold in the area, although most of the trainers camped outside the cave for safety since the Pokemon were so aggressive within the cave. Not even Team Rocket would deal with it, but it was a safe haven if they were ever to come under attack.

Outside the cave, the Resistance had set up a large camp with tents that held their equipment inside. Most of the tents were filled with communication devices that were used to keep the Resistance organized and efficient. They were still out manned by Team Rocket, so organization was key in order to even the playing field.

"Yumi, there's a call incoming." A dark haired teenage girl called out to a woman that was currently talking to a group of three trainers. She gave each of them a nod before waving them off, then she jogged over to the girl who had called her.

"Thanks Grace." Yumi said, taking a moment to study the girl. Her eyes were bloodshot and she was looked as though she was going to collapse at any given moment. Yumi used both of her hands to straighten out Grace's messy hair before give her a pat on the shoulder. "Grace, you're relieved from your duties. Go get some sleep."

"I can't…" Grace replied weakly. "We're expecting a response from Shari's team within a few hours. Someone has to be ready at all times."

"Grace, I'll do it. You need some rest right now." Yumi insisted, motioning for her to head over to one of the tents where she could sleep. Just to make sure Grace got moving; Yumi spun her around and gave her a push in the right direction. Yumi waited until she saw Grace disappear into one of the tents at the end of the camp, assuming that the girl fell down upon one of the sleeping bags placed inside it.

With a bit of a snicker, Yumi entered the communications tent behind her, taking a seat at the table in front of a transmitter. Since Team Rocket had tapped nearly every radio wave throughout the two regions, the Resistance had no choice but to use basic two way communications in order to avoid having their messages being picked up by Team Rocket.

Picking up the receiver, Yumi waited a few moments for the white noise to pass, then she could hear a voice.

"Matt, is that you?" She asked.

"Yup." The voice on the other end of the line said.

"I take it everything went smoothly at Mt Mortar."

"You got that right." Matt replied, making quick work of this topic. "But you'll never guess who showed up during the battle."

"Umm, Robbie?"

All she heard was Matt laugh in reply. Then a few moments of silence passed. Yumi almost dropped the receiver at Matt's reply.

**4/2/0048/Late Morning**

**Victory Road**

"Alright Blake, we're almost there." Matt said as the two of them trekked up a steep incline. The cave was dark and damp, although Blake had no trouble ignoring these conditions since he spent a majority of his time battling the territorial wild Pokemon.

"Good." Blake replied. He had to admit that he was pretty tired since he had spent two days in Victory Road. He and Matt had been battling non-stop since they entered the cave, and the exhaustion was just starting to get to Blake.

The entire cave rumbled, which gained an alarmed expression from Matt as he looked about frantically. There was a pause, and then the cave rumbled once again.

"This isn't good." He said slowly before picking up his pace. "Come on Blake."

"What's going on?"

"The base is under attack again."

"Attack? What Pokemon is strongest enough to make the whole cave shake?" Blake exclaimed.

"It's probably Brad and Mewtwo. They're the only ones left under the control of the Commissioner." Matt replied, getting raised eyebrows from Blake.

"Wait, what?"

"Oh right, I knew there was something I was forgetting." Matt said. "There were a few members of the Kanto Committee that had Crests. We're pretty sure the Commissioner had gathered them himself. Anyway, he's been controlling three of them since the war started, using them to match the Legendary Pokemon we've got."

"So he's been using them to keep you guys busy?" Blake pointed out.

"Probably. We've never seen the Commissioner of the battlefield. Just his lackeys. We've already freed two of the Crests from his control, Jackie and Stanly, so that just leaves Brad before we can launch a full attack on the Commissioner and Team Rocket." Matt explained.

"I see." Blake said as the incline came to a stop on a platform where they found over a hundred people standing together around the exit of the cave.

"Commander Matt, you made it." One of them exclaimed, motioning for Matt to hurry over.

"What's the situation?" Matt asked as he was led toward the exit of the cave.

"It's Brad again along with Mewtwo. Commanders Mari, Robbie and Grace have already engaged him."

"Then this should be over quickly." Matt said as he looked back at Blake, motioning for him to follow him out of the cave. The duo left the cave silently where Blake discovered the Victory Road had muffled most of the noise that was taking place outside. Outside was a vastly different battlefield, like nothing he had ever seen before.

Over the flat terrain, Blake could see pillars of fire erupt into the air, lightning bolts dropped from the skies and the reddish orange wings of an enormous bird flapping majestically. All of these attacks were directed at a white blur that continued to bounce around the battlefield, occasionally ramming itself into its three attackers.

Matt led Blake up to higher ground for Blake to have a better look at the battle, although this gained a questioning look from Blake.

"Aren't you going to help them?" Blake asked.

"No, they don't need it. It's three on one. At this point I'll just get into the way." Matt said in response before pointing to the field, telling Blake to focus on the battle. Looking out at the open stretch of land, Blake watched as the white blur blew through another pillar of flames as if it weren't even there before advancing on Entei who was trying to track its movements.

Entei gave a roar of pain as the white blur slammed into it once again, but as it bounced away Entei unleashed an orb of scarlet flames that crashed into the white blur which effectively brought it to a halt. In the flames, everyone could clearly see that it was Mewtwo in a protective white bubble.

Mewtwo quietly raised its hands, using Psychic to cut off the oxygen that fueled the flames, causing them to die out quickly before it thrusted its arms forward. A shockwave of energy was launched at Entei which sent it deflected away by breathing out a powerful stream of flames. As Mewtwo lowered its hands, its raised its gaze toward the sky, noticing that a large shadow had been cast over it.

Ho-oh gave one great call before it opened its mouth to drop a massive inferno onto Mewtwo that quickly covered the entire field with flames. Entei quickly sprinted out of the range of the large attack, eventually coming to a stop beside Raikou who had also abandoned the scene to avoid getting caught in the flames.

The field burned for a while as Ho-oh hovered above it, scanning the field for the enemy. Everything was quiet, but just for a moment. The center of the burning land was blow outward as Mewtwo rushed up at Ho-oh, ramming itself into Ho-oh's stomach. The large bird gave a roar before it swatted Mewtwo with its wings, unleashing another blast of fire from its mouth onto Mewtwo who parted the flames with the use of Psychic.

With its attention full focused on holding off the flames, Mewtwo was unaware of the thunderbolt that would be dropped down on it from above. Mewtwo's bubbled blocked out the attack for just a moment, this moment being enough time for Mewtwo to realize it was under attack from two directions now. Then it used to Teleport to escape the attacks and avoid having its shield collapse early on.

Blake could only stare in complete awe as the Pokemon that possessed such tremendous power battled each other. Blake was certainly an experienced trainer, but he never thought he would see the day when he would see Pokemon that could rock the entire planet battle each other. The times had really changed while he was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>And thus begins Blake's journey into the Storm that his violently shaped the world into one colossal mess. Now that the transition chapters are over, we can really start getting into the Storm and the cause of it. But for now, thanks for reviewing and please continue! :D<strong>

**Until next time guys. **


End file.
